Richmond, VA · 2026
Sunrise and sunset in Richmond, Virginia
Short answer
- Longest day
- 14 h 46 min
- Shortest day
- 9 h 34 min
Richmond daylight through 2026
Daylight in Richmond runs from 9 h 34 min on December 21 to 14 h 46 min on June 21, a seasonal swing of 5 h 11 min between June 21 and December 21. That swing ranks 144th 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.
Richmond daylight by month
| Month | Average | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9 h 55 min | 7:14 AM to 7:25 AM | 5:02 PM to 5:32 PM |
| February | 10 h 50 min | 6:42 AM to 7:13 AM | 5:34 PM to 6:02 PM |
| March | 11 h 59 min | 6:32 AM to 7:31 AM | 6:03 PM to 7:31 PM |
| April | 13 h 11 min | 6:15 AM to 6:55 AM | 7:32 PM to 7:59 PM |
| May | 14 h 12 min | 5:50 AM to 6:14 AM | 8:00 PM to 8:24 PM |
| June | 14 h 43 min | 5:48 AM to 5:52 AM | 8:25 PM to 8:35 PM |
| July | 14 h 27 min | 5:52 AM to 6:13 AM | 8:18 PM to 8:35 PM |
| August | 13 h 34 min | 6:14 AM to 6:39 AM | 7:40 PM to 8:17 PM |
| September | 12 h 24 min | 6:40 AM to 7:04 AM | 6:54 PM to 7:38 PM |
| October | 11 h 12 min | 7:05 AM to 7:33 AM | 6:12 PM to 6:52 PM |
| November | 10 h 10 min | 6:34 AM to 7:04 AM | 4:52 PM to 5:11 PM |
| December | 9 h 37 min | 7:05 AM to 7:24 AM | 4:51 PM to 5:01 PM |
Earliest sunrise, latest sunset and the clock
The earliest sunrise comes on June 6 at 5:48 AM and the latest sunset on June 24 at 8:35 PM. The latest sunrise is 7:33 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. Richmond sits at 77.48° W, so the sun runs about 10 minutes behind the zone clock. Solar noon is at 12:19 PM on January 15 and 1:15 PM on July 15.
Compared with nearby cities
Richmond is the capital of Virginia. Day length depends on latitude, so the table lists the paired cities from north to south.
| City | Latitude | June 21 | December 21 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore, MD | 39.30° N | 14 h 56 min | 9 h 24 min |
| Washington, DC | 38.90° N | 14 h 54 min | 9 h 26 min |
| Alexandria, VA | 38.82° N | 14 h 53 min | 9 h 27 min |
| Richmond, VA | 37.53° N | 14 h 46 min | 9 h 34 min |
| Newport News, VA | 37.08° N | 14 h 43 min | 9 h 37 min |
| Hampton, VA | 37.05° N | 14 h 43 min | 9 h 37 min |
| Norfolk, VA | 36.92° N | 14 h 42 min | 9 h 38 min |
| Virginia Beach, VA | 36.78° N | 14 h 41 min | 9 h 38 min |
| Suffolk, VA | 36.70° N | 14 h 41 min | 9 h 39 min |
| Chesapeake, VA | 36.68° N | 14 h 40 min | 9 h 39 min |
Questions people ask
What is the longest day of the year in Richmond?
June 21, 2026, with 14 h 46 min of daylight: sunrise 5:49 AM, sunset 8:34 PM.
What is the shortest day in Richmond?
December 21, 2026, with 9 h 34 min: sunrise 7:20 AM, sunset 4:55 PM.
When is the latest sunset in Richmond?
8:35 PM on June 24, 2026. The earliest sunset is 4:51 PM on December 1.
What time zone is Richmond 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 Richmond, 37.531° N, 77.476° 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.