Solar glare issues around sunrise and sunset this week

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Fall officially begins in less than a week at 1:50 a.m. CDT this Saturday. At that point the sun is directly above the equator. That has a big effect on your morning and evening commutes that you may have noticed recently.

It’s called sun glare, and it’s something that happens all the time. However, this time of year -- near the fall (and spring) equinox -- it gets worse due to the sun’s location above the equator.

The glare is very bad on east-west roads at and just after sunrise. The same can be said leading up to sunset. So if you’re traveling eastbound during the morning hours between roughly 6:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. be prepared for extreme glare issues all week long.

If you’re traveling westbound during the late afternoon hours between roughly 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. the same can be said. Again, it boils down to the sun being located above the equator this time of year.

The sun glare will be problematic this weekend and into next week as well. Beyond next week things will get better and better as days go by. That’s because the sun will be shifting into the Southern Hemisphere.

To help with the extreme sun glare over the next two weeks experts recommend using your vehicle’s visor and wearing sunglasses. It is also a good idea to clean both the inside and outside of your front and back windshields.

The cleaner your windshields are, the better your commutes will be. It won’t completely rid the sun glare, but it will certainly help. It’s also a good idea to be extra cautious as your commute will likely include points where it’s nearly impossible to see due to the sun.

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