Columbia, SC · 2026
Sunrise and sunset in Columbia, South Carolina
Short answer
- Longest day
- 14 h 26 min
- Shortest day
- 9 h 53 min
Columbia daylight through 2026
Daylight in Columbia runs from 9 h 53 min on December 21 to 14 h 26 min on June 21, a seasonal swing of 4 h 32 min between June 21 and December 21. That swing ranks 211th of 342 US cities of 100,000+, where 1st is the largest. Around the March equinox the city gets 12 h 08 min, and around the September equinox 12 h 08 min.
Columbia daylight by month
| Month | Average | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10 h 11 min | 7:21 AM to 7:29 AM | 5:25 PM to 5:53 PM |
| February | 10 h 59 min | 6:53 AM to 7:20 AM | 5:54 PM to 6:19 PM |
| March | 12 h 00 min | 6:44 AM to 7:43 AM | 6:20 PM to 7:43 PM |
| April | 13 h 03 min | 6:35 AM to 7:10 AM | 7:44 PM to 8:06 PM |
| May | 13 h 57 min | 6:13 AM to 6:34 AM | 8:07 PM to 8:29 PM |
| June | 14 h 23 min | 6:11 AM to 6:15 AM | 8:30 PM to 8:39 PM |
| July | 14 h 10 min | 6:16 AM to 6:34 AM | 8:25 PM to 8:39 PM |
| August | 13 h 23 min | 6:35 AM to 6:56 AM | 7:50 PM to 8:24 PM |
| September | 12 h 22 min | 6:57 AM to 7:17 AM | 7:09 PM to 7:49 PM |
| October | 11 h 19 min | 7:18 AM to 7:42 AM | 6:31 PM to 7:07 PM |
| November | 10 h 24 min | 6:43 AM to 7:10 AM | 5:14 PM to 5:30 PM |
| December | 9 h 56 min | 7:11 AM to 7:28 AM | 5:14 PM to 5:24 PM |
Earliest sunrise, latest sunset and the clock
The earliest sunrise comes on June 8 at 6:11 AM and the latest sunset on June 27 at 8:39 PM. The latest sunrise is 7:43 AM on March 8. Daylight saving time starts and ends on March 8 and November 1, which shifts every clock time by an hour.
On standard time the clocks run 5 hours behind UTC, the time of the 75° W meridian. Columbia sits at 80.91° W, so the sun runs about 24 minutes behind the zone clock. Solar noon is at 12:33 PM on January 15 and 1:29 PM on July 15.
Compared with nearby cities
Columbia is the capital of South Carolina. Day length depends on latitude, so the table lists the paired cities from north to south.
| City | Latitude | June 21 | December 21 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concord, NC | 35.39° N | 14 h 33 min | 9 h 46 min |
| Charlotte, NC | 35.21° N | 14 h 32 min | 9 h 47 min |
| Fayetteville, NC | 35.08° N | 14 h 31 min | 9 h 48 min |
| Columbia, SC | 34.04° N | 14 h 26 min | 9 h 53 min |
| Athens-Clarke County, GA | 33.95° N | 14 h 25 min | 9 h 54 min |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA | 33.37° N | 14 h 22 min | 9 h 57 min |
| North Charleston, SC | 32.92° N | 14 h 20 min | 9 h 59 min |
| Charleston, SC | 32.83° N | 14 h 19 min | 9 h 59 min |
| Savannah, GA | 32.02° N | 14 h 15 min | 10 h 03 min |
Questions people ask
What is the longest day of the year in Columbia?
June 21, 2026, with 14 h 26 min of daylight: sunrise 6:12 AM, sunset 8:38 PM.
What is the shortest day in Columbia?
December 21, 2026, with 9 h 53 min: sunrise 7:25 AM, sunset 5:18 PM.
When is the latest sunset in Columbia?
8:39 PM on June 27, 2026. The earliest sunset is 5:14 PM on November 27.
What time zone is Columbia in?
America/New_York. Clocks change on March 8 (to EDT) and November 1 (to EST) in 2026.
Sources and data as of
Data as of: computed for 2026 at the Census internal point of Columbia, 34.041° N, 80.906° W; time zone from Open-Meteo.
- 01SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
- 02IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)
How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.