Longest Day of the Year in Different Cities

Longest Day of the Year in Different Cities In the Northern Hemisphere, the longest day of the year will always be on or around June 21. On this date, the rays of the sun will be perpendicular to the Tropic of Cancer at 23Â °30 North latitude. This day is the summer solstice for all locations north of the equator. On this day, the earths circle of illumination will be from the Arctic Circle on the far side of the earth (in relation to the sun) to the Antarctic Circle on the near side of the earth. The equator receives twelve hours of daylight, there are 24 hours of daylight at the North Pole and areas north of 66Â °30 N, and there are 24 hours of darkness at the South Pole and areas south of 66Â °30 S. June 20 to 21 is the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere but simultaneously the start of winter in the Southern Hemisphere. Its also the longest day of sunlight for places in the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest day for cities south of the equator. However, June 20 to 21 is not the day when the sun rises earliest in the morning nor when it sets the latest at night. As well see, the date of the earliest sunrise or sunset varies from location to location. Well start our tour of the solstice in the north, with Anchorage, Alaska and head south in the U.S. and then move on to international cities. Its interesting to compare the difference in sunrise and sunset in various locales around the globe. In the information below, the date ranges for the longest day have been rounded to the nearest minute. If we were to round to the second, the solstice on the 20th or 21st would always be the longest day. Anchorage, Alaska Earliest Sunrise: 4:20 a.m. from June 17th through June 19thLatest Sunset: 11:42 p.m. from June 18th to June 25thLongest Days: June 18th to June 22ndHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 19 hours and 21 minutes Seattle, Washington Earliest Sunrise: 5:11 a.m. from June 11th through June 20th.Latest Sunset: 9:11 p.m. from June 19th to June 30thLongest Days: June 16th to June 24thHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 15 hours and 59 minutes Portland, Oregon Earliest Sunrise: 5:21 a.m. from June 12th through June 17th.Latest Sunset: 9:04 p.m. from June 23rd to June 27thLongest Days: June 16th to June June 24thHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 15 hours and 41 minutes New York City, New York Earliest Sunrise: 5:24 a.m. from June 11th through June 17th.Latest Sunset: 8:31 p.m. from June 20th to July 3rdLongest Days: June 18th to June June 22ndHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 15 hours and 6 minutes Sacramento, California Earliest Sunrise: 5:41 a.m. from June 8th through June 18th.Latest Sunset: 8:34 p.m. from June 20th to July 4thLongest Days: June 17th to June June 23rdHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 14 hours and 52 minutes Los Angeles, California Earliest Sunrise: 5:41 a.m. from June 6th through June 17th.Latest Sunset: 8:08 p.m. from June 20th to July 6thLongest Days: June 19th to June 21stHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 14 hours and 26 minutes Miami, Florida Earliest Sunrise: 6:29 a.m. from May 31st through June 17th.Latest Sunset: 8:16 p.m. from June 23rd to July 6thLongest Days: June 15th to June 25thHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 13 hours and 45 minutes Honolulu, Hawaii Earliest Sunrise: 5:49 a.m. from May 28th through June 16th.Latest Sunset: 7:18 p.m. from June 30th to July 7thLongest Days: June 15th to June 25thHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 13 hours and 26 minutes Because it is closer to the equator than any of the other U.S. cities profiled here, Honolulu has the shortest length of daylight on the summer solstice. The city also has far less variation in daylight throughout the year, so even winter days have close to 11 hours of sunlight. Next, well learn about international cities and how they are affected by the solstice. Reykjavik, Iceland Earliest Sunrise: 2:55 a.m. from June 18th through June 21stLatest Sunset: 12:04 a.m. from June 21st to June 24thLongest Days: June 18th to June 22ndHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 21 hours and 8 minutes If Reykjavik were just a few degrees further to the north, it would fall within the Arctic Circle and experience 24 hours of daylight on the summer solstice. London, United Kingdom Earliest Sunrise: 4:43 a.m. from June 11th through June 22ndLatest Sunset: 9:22 p.m. from June 21st to June 27thLongest Days: June 17th to June 24thHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 16 hours and 38 minutes Tokyo, Japan Earliest Sunrise: 4:25 a.m. from June 6th through June 20th.Latest Sunset: 7:01 p.m. from June 22nd to July 5thLongest Days: June 19th to June 23ndHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 14 hours and 35 minutes Mexico City, Mexico Earliest Sunrise: 6:57 a.m. from June 3rd through June 7th.Latest Sunset: 8:19 p.m. from June 27th to June 12thLongest Days: June 13th to June 28thHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 13 hours and 18 minutes Nairobi, Kenya Earliest Sunrise: 6:11 a.m. from November 3rd through November 7th.Latest Sunset: 6:52 p.m. from February 4th to June 14thLongest Days: December 2nd to January 10thHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 12 hours and 12 minutes Nairobi, which is merely 1Â °17 south of the equator, has exactly 12 hours of sunlight on June 21 when the sun rises at 6:33 a.m. and sets at 6:33 p.m. Because the city is in the Southern Hemisphere, it experiences its longest day on December 21. Nairobis shortest days, in mid-June, are just 10 minutes shorter than the longest days in December. The lack of diversity in Nairobis sunrise and sunset throughout the year provides a clear example of why lower latitudes dont need Daylight Saving Time - sunrise and sunset are almost at the same time year-round. Edited by Allen Grove