Modesto, CA · 2026
Sunrise and sunset in Modesto, California
Short answer
- Longest day
- 14 h 46 min
- Shortest day
- 9 h 34 min
Modesto daylight through 2026
Daylight in Modesto runs from 9 h 34 min on December 21 to 14 h 46 min on June 21, a seasonal swing of 5 h 12 min between June 21 and December 21. That swing ranks 141st 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.
Modesto daylight by month
| Month | Average | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9 h 55 min | 7:08 AM to 7:19 AM | 4:56 PM to 5:27 PM |
| February | 10 h 50 min | 6:36 AM to 7:07 AM | 5:28 PM to 5:56 PM |
| March | 11 h 59 min | 6:26 AM to 7:25 AM | 5:57 PM to 7:26 PM |
| April | 13 h 12 min | 6:09 AM to 6:49 AM | 7:27 PM to 7:53 PM |
| May | 14 h 13 min | 5:44 AM to 6:08 AM | 7:54 PM to 8:19 PM |
| June | 14 h 43 min | 5:41 AM to 5:45 AM | 8:20 PM to 8:29 PM |
| July | 14 h 28 min | 5:46 AM to 6:07 AM | 8:13 PM to 8:29 PM |
| August | 13 h 34 min | 6:08 AM to 6:33 AM | 7:34 PM to 8:12 PM |
| September | 12 h 24 min | 6:34 AM to 6:58 AM | 6:48 PM to 7:32 PM |
| October | 11 h 12 min | 6:59 AM to 7:28 AM | 6:06 PM to 6:46 PM |
| November | 10 h 09 min | 6:29 AM to 6:59 AM | 4:45 PM to 5:05 PM |
| December | 9 h 37 min | 7:00 AM to 7:18 AM | 4:45 PM to 4:55 PM |
Earliest sunrise, latest sunset and the clock
The earliest sunrise comes on June 12 at 5:41 AM and the latest sunset on June 22 at 8:29 PM. The latest sunrise is 7:28 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 8 hours behind UTC, the time of the 120° W meridian. Modesto sits at 121.00° W, so the sun runs about 4 minutes behind the zone clock. Solar noon is at 12:13 PM on January 15 and 1:10 PM on July 15.
Compared with nearby cities
Sacramento, the state capital, gets 6 minutes more daylight than Modesto on June 21 and 5 minutes less on December 21. Day length depends on latitude, so the table lists the paired cities from north to south.
| City | Latitude | June 21 | December 21 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sparks, NV | 39.57° N | 14 h 58 min | 9 h 22 min |
| Reno, NV | 39.55° N | 14 h 58 min | 9 h 22 min |
| Elk Grove, CA | 38.41° N | 14 h 51 min | 9 h 29 min |
| Antioch, CA | 37.98° N | 14 h 48 min | 9 h 32 min |
| Stockton, CA | 37.98° N | 14 h 48 min | 9 h 32 min |
| Tracy, CA | 37.73° N | 14 h 47 min | 9 h 33 min |
| Modesto, CA | 37.64° N | 14 h 46 min | 9 h 34 min |
| Fremont, CA | 37.49° N | 14 h 45 min | 9 h 34 min |
| Sunnyvale, CA | 37.39° N | 14 h 45 min | 9 h 35 min |
| Santa Clara, CA | 37.36° N | 14 h 44 min | 9 h 35 min |
| San Jose, CA | 37.30° N | 14 h 44 min | 9 h 36 min |
| Clovis, CA | 36.83° N | 14 h 41 min | 9 h 38 min |
| Fresno, CA | 36.78° N | 14 h 41 min | 9 h 38 min |
| Salinas, CA | 36.69° N | 14 h 40 min | 9 h 39 min |
| Visalia, CA | 36.33° N | 14 h 38 min | 9 h 41 min |
Questions people ask
What is the longest day of the year in Modesto?
June 21, 2026, with 14 h 46 min of daylight: sunrise 5:42 AM, sunset 8:28 PM.
What is the shortest day in Modesto?
December 21, 2026, with 9 h 34 min: sunrise 7:15 AM, sunset 4:49 PM.
When is the latest sunset in Modesto?
8:29 PM on June 22, 2026. The earliest sunset is 4:45 PM on November 30.
What time zone is Modesto in?
America/Los_Angeles. Clocks change on March 8 (to PDT) and November 1 (to PST) in 2026.
Sources and data as of
Data as of: computed for 2026 at the Census internal point of Modesto, 37.638° N, 121.003° 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.