Washington, DC · 2026
Sunrise and sunset in Washington, District of Columbia
Short answer
- Longest day
- 14 h 54 min
- Shortest day
- 9 h 26 min
Washington daylight through 2026
Daylight in Washington runs from 9 h 26 min on December 21 to 14 h 54 min on June 21, a seasonal swing of 5 h 28 min between June 21 and December 21. That swing ranks 114th 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.
Washington daylight by month
| Month | Average | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9 h 48 min | 7:15 AM to 7:26 AM | 4:56 PM to 5:28 PM |
| February | 10 h 46 min | 6:41 AM to 7:14 AM | 5:29 PM to 5:59 PM |
| March | 11 h 59 min | 6:31 AM to 7:30 AM | 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM |
| April | 13 h 15 min | 6:11 AM to 6:52 AM | 7:31 PM to 7:59 PM |
| May | 14 h 19 min | 5:44 AM to 6:10 AM | 8:00 PM to 8:27 PM |
| June | 14 h 51 min | 5:42 AM to 5:46 AM | 8:27 PM to 8:37 PM |
| July | 14 h 35 min | 5:46 AM to 6:08 AM | 8:20 PM to 8:37 PM |
| August | 13 h 38 min | 6:09 AM to 6:36 AM | 7:39 PM to 8:19 PM |
| September | 12 h 25 min | 6:37 AM to 7:03 AM | 6:52 PM to 7:38 PM |
| October | 11 h 10 min | 7:04 AM to 7:34 AM | 6:08 PM to 6:50 PM |
| November | 10 h 04 min | 6:35 AM to 7:06 AM | 4:46 PM to 5:07 PM |
| December | 9 h 30 min | 7:07 AM to 7:26 AM | 4:45 PM to 4:55 PM |
Earliest sunrise, latest sunset and the clock
The earliest sunrise comes on June 7 at 5:42 AM and the latest sunset on June 22 at 8:37 PM. The latest sunrise is 7:34 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. Washington sits at 77.02° W, so the sun runs about 8 minutes behind the zone clock. Solar noon is at 12:17 PM on January 15 and 1:14 PM on July 15.
Compared with nearby cities
Washington is the capital of District of Columbia. Day length depends on latitude, so the table lists the paired cities from north to south.
| City | Latitude | June 21 | December 21 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allentown, PA | 40.59° N | 15 h 05 min | 9 h 16 min |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 40.44° N | 15 h 04 min | 9 h 17 min |
| Philadelphia, PA | 40.01° N | 15 h 01 min | 9 h 20 min |
| 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 |
Questions people ask
What is the longest day of the year in Washington?
June 21, 2026, with 14 h 54 min of daylight: sunrise 5:42 AM, sunset 8:36 PM.
What is the shortest day in Washington?
December 21, 2026, with 9 h 26 min: sunrise 7:23 AM, sunset 4:49 PM.
When is the latest sunset in Washington?
8:37 PM on June 22, 2026. The earliest sunset is 4:45 PM on December 4.
What time zone is Washington 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 Washington, 38.904° N, 77.017° 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.