Washington, District of Columbia Sunset Time Today

Washington sunset and sunrise times, golden hour, blue hour, and how your daylight is changing

Washington, DC · Sunset & sunrise today

Sunset 7:06 PM Sunrise 6:54 AM

12h 12m of daylight, −2m shorter than yesterday.

Tomorrow in Washington · Tue, Sep 22

Sunrise tomorrow: 6:55 AM · Sunset tomorrow: 7:05 PM

Sunrise 1 minute later than today · sunset 1 minute earlier than today

In Washington, the sun rises at 6:55 AM tomorrow and sets at 7:05 PM.

Golden hour & blue hour today

Morning

Golden hour6:54 AM7:31 AM

Blue hour6:29 AM6:54 AM

Evening

Golden hour6:33 PM7:06 PM

Blue hour7:06 PM7:35 PM

Golden hour: the sun between the horizon and 6° up. Blue hour: civil twilight, down to 6° below the horizon.

Sunrise time in Washington

The sun rises in Washington at 6:54 AM today and at 6:55 AM tomorrow (1 minute later than today).

First light comes before the sun itself: civil twilight — the blue-hour glow already bright enough to see by — begins at 6:29 AM.

For photographers, the morning golden hour — the warm, low-angle light until the sun climbs 6° — runs from 6:54 AM to 7:31 AM.

Sunrise & sunset this week

DaySunriseSunsetDaylight
Today6:54 AM7:06 PM12h 12m
Tue, Sep 226:55 AM7:05 PM12h 10m
Wed, Sep 236:56 AM7:03 PM12h 7m
Thu, Sep 246:57 AM7:01 PM12h 4m
Fri, Sep 256:58 AM7:00 PM12h 2m
Sat, Sep 266:59 AM6:58 PM11h 59m
Sun, Sep 277:00 AM6:56 PM11h 56m

Washington daylight month by month

The 1st of each month in 2026, in local time.

MonthSunriseSunsetDaylight
Jan7:27 AM4:57 PM9h 30m
Feb7:15 AM5:30 PM10h 14m
Mar6:42 AM6:01 PM11h 19m
Apr6:54 AM7:32 PM12h 38m
May6:11 AM8:01 PM13h 50m
Jun5:46 AM8:28 PM14h 43m
Jul5:47 AM8:38 PM14h 51m
Aug6:10 AM8:21 PM14h 11m
Sep6:38 AM7:40 PM13h 3m
Oct7:05 AM6:52 PM11h 48m
Nov6:36 AM5:09 PM10h 33m
Dec7:09 AM4:48 PM9h 39m

Washington’s longest and shortest days

From 14h 54m of daylight on June 21, 2026 to 9h 26m on December 21, 2026.

Solar landmarkDate (2026)Daylight
Longest dayJun 2114h 54m
Spring equinoxMar 2012h 8m
Fall equinoxSep 2212h 10m
Shortest dayDec 219h 26m

How fast Washington gains and loses daylight

Daily rate at mid-month; net change across the month.

MonthDaily rateNet change
Jangaining 1m 25s a day+45m
Febgaining 2m 21s a day+1h 5m
Margaining 2m 33s a day+1h 19m
Aprgaining 2m 25s a day+1h 12m
Maygaining 1m 48s a day+53m
Jungaining 21s a day+9m
Jullosing 1m 16s a day−40m
Auglosing 2m 13s a day−1h 8m
Seplosing 2m 30s a day−1h 15m
Octlosing 2m 27s a day−1h 15m
Novlosing 1m 53s a day−54m
Declosing 25s a day−10m

Washington golden hour & blue hour by season

The same altitude-based windows as today’s card, at each solstice and equinox.

SeasonEvening goldEvening blueMorning goldMorning blue
Spring equinox6:45–7:20 PM7:20–7:47 PM7:13–7:48 AM6:46–7:13 AM
Summer solstice7:58–8:38 PM8:38–9:10 PM5:44–6:24 AM5:12–5:44 AM
Fall equinox6:32–7:07 PM7:07–7:33 PM6:56–7:32 AM6:30–6:56 AM
Winter solstice4:08–4:50 PM4:50–5:20 PM7:24–8:06 AM6:54–7:24 AM

Daylight saving time in Washington

Clocks move an hour; the daylight doesn’t change.

Clock changeDate (2026)UTC offset
Spring forwardSun, Mar 8UTC−4
Fall backSun, Nov 1UTC−5

Why sunset time shifts in Washington

Sunset drifts through the year with Earth’s ~23.4° axial tilt — see the full daylight explainer.

In Washington, the longest day carries about 14h 54m of daylight and the shortest just 9h 26m — a swing of roughly 5h 28m between the June and December solstices. The farther a place sits from the equator, the wider that gap; the pace also isn’t steady, moving fastest near the equinoxes and barely at all near the solstices. Every figure here is computed from the sun’s position for Washington’s exact coordinates, in local time.

Frequently asked

When is the earliest and latest sunset in Washington?
Washington's earliest sunset in 2026 is 4:47 PM around December 7, 14 days before the shortest day. The latest is 8:38 PM around June 27, 6 days after the longest day. Both are local clock times.
How much daylight does Washington get on the longest and shortest days?
Washington gets about 14h 54m of daylight on the longest day, June 21, 2026, and 9h 26m on the shortest, December 21, 2026: a swing of 5h 28m.
When is golden hour in Washington?
Near the June solstice, Washington's evening golden hour runs 7:58–8:38 PM and the morning one 5:44–6:24 AM. Near the December solstice they run 4:08–4:50 PM and 7:24–8:06 AM. Golden hour here is the time the sun spends between the horizon and 6° up.

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