Baltimore commuters face earlier darkness after clock change

Baltimore residents saw the sun set at 5:05 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, marking a one-hour shift earlier than the previous day. Maryland and most of the United States transitioned to standard time at 2 a.m. that morning. This change moves the evening rush hour into fading light or full darkness for commuters, dog walkers, and parents picking up children from after-school activities. The darkness will continue to advance until early December.

Sunset times in downtown Baltimore will drop below 5 p.m. within the first week of November. The sun sets approximately one minute earlier each day through mid-November. Civil twilight, the period of usable light after sunset, ended at 5:33 p.m. on Sunday. This means a walk home beginning at 5:30 p.m. occurs in near-darkness.

The earliest sunsets of the year occur in the first half of December rather than on the winter solstice. Sunset reaches its earliest point at 4:43 p.m. from Dec. 2 to Dec. 12. The shortest day of the year remains the solstice on Dec. 21, which provides 9 hours and 23 minutes of daylight. Mornings will not noticeably brighten until mid-January, with the latest sunrise occurring in the first week of January.

The Maryland Department of Transportation issued a warning regarding road safety following the time change. An Oct. 27 release from the State Highway Administration and Motor Vehicle Administration cited research showing fatal crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists can rise by 13% in the weeks after clocks fall back. State officials recorded 2,704 pedestrian-related crashes in 2025, a 7% decrease from the previous year. Those incidents resulted in 101 deaths and 2,399 injuries.

State Highway Administrator Will Pines urged roadway users to slow down and eliminate distractions. He emphasized the need to protect vulnerable travelers during this period. Drivers are advised to check vehicle lights and exercise caution when turning at intersections. Pedestrians are encouraged to wear bright or reflective clothing and cross streets at marked crosswalks with streetlights. Commuters should plan routes on well-lit streets, as the 5 p.m. rush will occur in near-darkness through January.

Daylight hours will begin to increase after Dec. 21, but initially by only seconds per day. Sunset times will return past 5 p.m. by mid-January and reach 5:27 p.m. by Feb. 1. The clocks will spring forward again at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 14, 2027. This future adjustment will push sunset in Baltimore past 7 p.m. overnight. Maryland has not opted out of the biannual time change, and the state will continue to follow federal standard time protocols.