What NJ’s summer sunrise would be under standard time

The country has once again sprung forward into Daylight Saving Time. And every year, there's a big debate over whether we should keep the practice, or eliminate it altogether.

Until recently, the huge argument was to spring forward one last time and just let it be. Eliminate the fall back and remain in Daylight Saving Time year-round. No more losing that hour of sleep, and no more sunsets well before 5 p.m.

I've often argued against leaving the clocks in Daylight Saving Time year round for a few reasons. The biggest reason being how incredibly dark our winter mornings would be if we left the clocks sprung forward.

An Overlooked Effect

Most don't realize this, but during the shortest days of the year, New Jersey's sunrise wouldn't occur until around 8 a.m. And I can promise you most in the state would not want that.

But that's for the argument of leaving Daylight Saving Time year round. Recently, that has changed to leaving Standard Time as the new norm. And personally? I'd be on board with that.

Why Standard Time Makes Sense

Look, my argument has always been that if we had to pick one that it should be Standard Time. And oftentimes, I'd get pushback on that. And I get it.

Most want that extra hour of daylight in the evening, even though Standard Time is more aligned with the world, as well as the rotation of the planet. Not to mention, no more changing the clocks.

Overall, I'm fully in support of eventually making Standard Time permanent and scrapping Daylight Saving Time for good. But with that said, what would that look like for New Jersey? Could we get used to such a change? And would it work?

The Summer Sunset Change

The biggest change would naturally occur during the summer months. Let's pick June since that's when the summer solstice occurs, which marks the longest day of the year.

Around that time, our sunsets would shift to around 7:30 p.m. Right now, under Daylight Saving Time, it occurs around 8:30 p.m.

Now, would that affect nightlife in New Jersey? Doubt it. At the end of the day, that earlier sunset wouldn't change the vibes of that warm summer nightlife.

The Summer Sunrise Change

This is where I think most in New Jersey might have an issue. The sunrise under Daylight Saving Time already occurs early, happening right around 5:30 a.m. during the month of June.

If we left the clocks in Standard Time, mornings in the Great Garden State would shift to around 4:30 a.m. And although early risers like myself would welcome that, I think most would prefer it still be dark around that time.

That said, I highly doubt the extra daylight would cause problems for those who prefer the summer night life. If anything, they'd probably just pull the shades down to help them sleep later into the morning.

What Late Summer Would Look Like

4:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Those are your approximate sunrise and sunset times in June when the summer season officially gets under way.

But after that first official day of summer on June 20, 2025, the days begin to get shorter. So what would that look like under Standard Time?

We'll jump right to Labor Day since that marks the unofficial end of summer. Under Standard Time, the sunrise during early September would be around 5:30 a.m., with sunset occurring just before 6:30 p.m.

Under Daylight Saving Time, the sunrise would be around 6:30 a.m. with sunset orruring just before 7:30 p.m.

The Sunrise Is Key to the Clock Change

That's the biggest argument I have as to why most in New Jersey want to keep the clock change permanent, even if they don't realize it. The practice of springing forward and falling back helps keep those sunrise times more consistent.

As for the early sunsets in winter? Well, it would still get dark early even under permanent Daylight Saving Time, so it honestly wouldn't make much of a difference during the shortest days.

But we would hate 8 a.m. sunrises, which is why I think most of us would prefer the clock change remain in place. But if we had to pick just one, it should be Standard Time.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.