Sunset & Sunrise Today in Washington, District of Columbia

In Washington, District of Columbia, the sun rises at 7:17 AM and sets at 6:29 PM today, Thursday, October 15, 2026, for a total of 11h 11m of daylight. Solar noon, when the sun is highest over Washington, is at 12:54 PM.

Because Washington is at 38.90° (the mid-latitudes), daylight swings noticeably between the long days of summer and the short days of winter. Each day is currently getting about 2 minutes shorter and 26 seconds. As autumn progresses, sunrise and sunset in Washington move a little each day rather than staying fixed.

For photographers, the evening golden hour in Washington runs from about 5:54 PM to 6:46 PM — that warm, low, flattering light just before sunset. The blue hour follows, roughly 6:46 PM to 6:56 PM, as twilight deepens.

Tomorrow, sunset in Washington is at 6:27 PM and sunrise at 7:18 AM — about 2m 26s less daylight than today. The table below shows how sunrise and sunset in Washington drift across the whole year.

Autumn has arrived in Washington, and the days are drawing in. Over the course of the year, sunset in Washington ranges from as early as 4:45 PM (around December 3) to as late as 8:37 PM (around June 23). Its longest day lands on June 20 with 14h 53m of daylight, and its shortest on December 21 with just 9h 25m.