When does it start getting dark earlier in Chicago (2026)?
In Chicago, sunsets start getting earlier after June 27 (8:29 PM), and the big jump comes on Sunday, November 1, when daylight saving time ends and sunset moves from 5:45 PM the day before to 4:44 PM.
Sunset in Chicago, week by week, September to December 2026
| Week of | Sunset | Dark | Daylight | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1 | 7:23 PM | 7:52 PM | 13 h 7 min | −11 min |
| Sep 8 | 7:11 PM | 7:40 PM | 12 h 48 min | −12 min |
| Sep 15 | 6:59 PM | 7:27 PM | 12 h 29 min | −12 min |
| Sep 22 | 6:47 PM | 7:15 PM | 12 h 10 min | −12 min |
| Sep 29 | 6:35 PM | 7:03 PM | 11 h 50 min | −12 min |
| Oct 6 | 6:23 PM | 6:51 PM | 11 h 31 min | −12 min |
| Oct 13 | 6:12 PM | 6:40 PM | 11 h 11 min | −11 min |
| Oct 20 | 6:01 PM | 6:29 PM | 10 h 52 min | −11 min |
| Oct 27 | 5:51 PM | 6:19 PM | 10 h 34 min | −10 min |
| Nov 3 | 4:42 PM | 5:11 PM | 10 h 17 min | −1 h 9 min clocks go back Nov 1 |
| Nov 10 | 4:34 PM | 5:03 PM | 10 h 0 min | −8 min |
| Nov 17 | 4:27 PM | 4:58 PM | 9 h 45 min | −6 min |
| Nov 24 | 4:23 PM | 4:53 PM | 9 h 32 min | −5 min |
| Dec 1 | 4:20 PM | 4:51 PM | 9 h 22 min | −3 min |
| Dec 8 | 4:19 PM | 4:50 PM | 9 h 14 min | −1 min |
| Dec 15 | 4:20 PM | 4:51 PM | 9 h 9 min | +1 min |
| Dec 22 | 4:23 PM | 4:54 PM | 9 h 8 min | +3 min |
| Dec 29 | 4:27 PM | 4:59 PM | 9 h 10 min | +5 min |
Why it gets dark earlier
After the summer solstice the days get shorter, and in Chicago the sunset on the clock reaches its latest on June 27. From there it gets earlier every day, slowly at first, then fastest around the September equinox, when it moves about 12 minutes earlier each week. When daylight saving time ends on November 1, the clock moves back an hour and sunset suddenly comes an hour earlier: that is the evening most people notice it getting dark early.
Sunsets keep getting earlier until December 8, when the sun sets at 4:19 PM and it is dark by 4:50 PM. From latest to earliest that is a swing of 4 h 11 min on the clock, one hour of which is the clock change. The earliest sunset comes 13 days before the shortest day (December 21); after it, evenings slowly get lighter even though the days are still getting shorter. See the earliest sunset of 2026 in Chicago for the days around it.
Mornings
The clock change that brings darkness earlier in the evening makes mornings lighter: see sunrise in Chicago after daylight saving time ends.
How these times are calculated
Times are for Chicago (41.88° N, 87.63° W), calculated with the NOAA solar-position algorithm for a flat horizon, in local clock time (America/Chicago), including daylight saving time where it applies. They are the same numbers as on the Chicago sunset and sunrise pages and are usually within a minute of published tables. Hills and buildings can hide the sun a few minutes early.