Columbus, OH · 2026
Sunrise and sunset in Columbus, Ohio
Short answer
- Longest day
- 15 h 01 min
- Shortest day
- 9 h 20 min
Columbus daylight through 2026
Daylight in Columbus runs from 9 h 20 min on December 21 to 15 h 01 min on June 21, a seasonal swing of 5 h 41 min between June 21 and December 21. That swing ranks 90th of 342 US cities of 100,000+, where 1st is the largest. Around the March equinox the city gets 12 h 09 min, and around the September equinox 12 h 09 min.
Columbus daylight by month
| Month | Average | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9 h 43 min | 7:41 AM to 7:53 AM | 5:17 PM to 5:50 PM |
| February | 10 h 43 min | 7:06 AM to 7:40 AM | 5:51 PM to 6:22 PM |
| March | 11 h 58 min | 6:55 AM to 7:54 AM | 6:23 PM to 7:55 PM |
| April | 13 h 17 min | 6:33 AM to 7:15 AM | 7:56 PM to 8:25 PM |
| May | 14 h 24 min | 6:05 AM to 6:31 AM | 8:26 PM to 8:54 PM |
| June | 14 h 58 min | 6:02 AM to 6:06 AM | 8:54 PM to 9:04 PM |
| July | 14 h 41 min | 6:06 AM to 6:29 AM | 8:46 PM to 9:04 PM |
| August | 13 h 42 min | 6:30 AM to 6:58 AM | 8:04 PM to 8:45 PM |
| September | 12 h 26 min | 6:59 AM to 7:27 AM | 7:15 PM to 8:03 PM |
| October | 11 h 08 min | 7:28 AM to 7:59 AM | 6:30 PM to 7:14 PM |
| November | 9 h 59 min | 7:01 AM to 7:33 AM | 5:07 PM to 5:29 PM |
| December | 9 h 23 min | 7:34 AM to 7:53 AM | 5:06 PM to 5:16 PM |
Earliest sunrise, latest sunset and the clock
The earliest sunrise comes on June 9 at 6:02 AM and the latest sunset on June 20 at 9:04 PM. The latest sunrise is 7:59 AM on October 31. 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. Columbus sits at 82.98° W, so the sun runs about 32 minutes behind the zone clock. Solar noon is at 12:41 PM on January 15 and 1:37 PM on July 15.
Compared with nearby cities
Columbus is the capital of Ohio. Day length depends on latitude, so the table lists the paired cities from north to south.
| City | Latitude | June 21 | December 21 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toledo, OH | 41.66° N | 15 h 12 min | 9 h 09 min |
| Cleveland, OH | 41.48° N | 15 h 11 min | 9 h 10 min |
| Fort Wayne, IN | 41.09° N | 15 h 08 min | 9 h 13 min |
| Akron, OH | 41.08° N | 15 h 08 min | 9 h 13 min |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 40.44° N | 15 h 04 min | 9 h 17 min |
| Columbus, OH | 39.98° N | 15 h 01 min | 9 h 20 min |
| Fishers, IN | 39.96° N | 15 h 01 min | 9 h 20 min |
| Dayton, OH | 39.78° N | 15 h 00 min | 9 h 21 min |
| Cincinnati, OH | 39.14° N | 14 h 55 min | 9 h 25 min |
| Lexington-Fayette, KY | 38.04° N | 14 h 49 min | 9 h 31 min |
Questions people ask
What is the longest day of the year in Columbus?
June 21, 2026, with 15 h 01 min of daylight: sunrise 6:03 AM, sunset 9:04 PM.
What is the shortest day in Columbus?
December 21, 2026, with 9 h 20 min: sunrise 7:50 AM, sunset 5:10 PM.
When is the latest sunset in Columbus?
9:04 PM on June 20, 2026. The earliest sunset is 5:06 PM on December 3.
What time zone is Columbus 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 Columbus, 39.984° N, 82.985° 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.