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Shortest day of the year 2026: Monday, December 21

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The shortest day of the year in 2026 is Monday, December 21, the day of the winter solstice. New York gets 9 hours 15 minutes between sunrise and sunset. Anchorage gets 5 hours 27 minutes.

The shortest day, city by city

Here are the four times that matter on December 21: first light, when the sky is bright enough to see by; sunrise; sunset; and last light, after which you'd need lamps.

CityFirst lightSunriseSunsetLast lightSun up
Anchorage, AK9:13 AM10:15 AM3:42 PM4:44 PM5 h 27 min
Seattle, WA7:19 AM7:56 AM4:21 PM4:57 PM8 h 25 min
Minneapolis, MN7:15 AM7:49 AM4:35 PM5:09 PM8 h 46 min
Chicago, IL6:44 AM7:16 AM4:23 PM4:55 PM9 h 8 min
New York, NY6:46 AM7:17 AM4:32 PM5:03 PM9 h 15 min
Denver, CO6:48 AM7:18 AM4:39 PM5:10 PM9 h 21 min
Los Angeles, CA6:28 AM6:55 AM4:48 PM5:16 PM9 h 53 min
Dallas, TX6:59 AM7:26 AM5:26 PM5:53 PM9 h 59 min
Miami, FL6:39 AM7:04 AM5:35 PM6:01 PM10 h 32 min
Honolulu, HI6:41 AM7:05 AM5:55 PM6:20 PM10 h 50 min
Times calculated by DaySight from the sun's position for each city, local standard time. For your own place, see sunrise and sunset times by city.

The further north, the shorter it is

Latitude decides how short your shortest day is. Near the tropics it barely changes: Honolulu's longest day is only 2 hours 36 minutes longer than its shortest. Past 50° north the loss speeds up.

Past 50° north, the shortest day shrinks fast

Hours from sunrise to sunset on December 21, 2026, by latitude; dots are US cities. Each 10° costs 40 to 75 minutes up to 50°N, then 2 h 12 min from 50° to 60°.

6 h8 h10 h12 h20°N30°N40°N50°N60°NAnchorage, AK, 61.2°N: 5 h 27 minAnchorageSeattle, WA, 47.6°N: 8 h 25 minSeattleMinneapolis, MN, 45.0°N: 8 h 46 minChicago, IL, 41.9°N: 9 h 8 minNew York, NY, 40.7°N: 9 h 15 minNew YorkDenver, CO, 39.7°N: 9 h 21 minLos Angeles, CA, 34.1°N: 9 h 53 minDallas, TX, 32.8°N: 9 h 59 minMiami, FL, 25.8°N: 10 h 32 minMiamiHonolulu, HI, 21.3°N: 10 h 50 minHonolulu

Source: DaySight, calculated from the sun's position for each city.

There's more light than sunrise to sunset

The sky is light before sunrise and after sunset. On the shortest day, first light to last light gives New York 10 hours 17 minutes of light, against 9 hours 15 minutes with the sun up.

First and last light add 49 min to 2 h 5 min to the day

December 21, 2026. Least in Honolulu, most in Anchorage. New York's 9 h 15 min of sun is 10 h 17 min of light.

Sunrise to sunsetFirst light to last light
0 h3 h6 h9 h12 hAnchorageAnchorage, AK: sun up 5 h 27 minAnchorage, AK: light 7 h 32 min5 h 27 minSeattleSeattle, WA: sun up 8 h 25 minSeattle, WA: light 9 h 37 min8 h 25 minMinneapolisMinneapolis, MN: sun up 8 h 46 minMinneapolis, MN: light 9 h 54 min8 h 46 minChicagoChicago, IL: sun up 9 h 8 minChicago, IL: light 10 h 11 min9 h 8 minNew YorkNew York, NY: sun up 9 h 15 minNew York, NY: light 10 h 17 min9 h 15 minDenverDenver, CO: sun up 9 h 21 minDenver, CO: light 10 h 22 min9 h 21 minLos AngelesLos Angeles, CA: sun up 9 h 53 minLos Angeles, CA: light 10 h 48 min9 h 53 minDallasDallas, TX: sun up 9 h 59 minDallas, TX: light 10 h 54 min9 h 59 minMiamiMiami, FL: sun up 10 h 32 minMiami, FL: light 11 h 22 min10 h 32 minHonoluluHonolulu, HI: sun up 10 h 50 minHonolulu, HI: light 11 h 39 min10 h 50 min

Source: DaySight, calculated from the sun's position for each city.

Is December 21 the shortest day everywhere?

Only in the Northern Hemisphere. South of the equator, December 21 is the longest day: Sydney gets 14 hours 24 minutes of daylight. Its shortest day is June 21, with 9 hours 54 minutes.

Why it falls on December 21

The shortest day is the day of the winter solstice, when the North Pole leans furthest from the sun. In 2026 that's 3:50 PM Eastern on December 21. How it works, and why the earliest sunset comes first, is in the winter solstice.

Is the shortest day the darkest evening?

No. Evenings are already getting lighter by December 21. New York's earliest sunset is Dec 8, at 4:29 PM. Mornings keep getting darker until early January. When each changes for your city is in when do the days start getting longer.

Shortest day of the year 2027

Tuesday, December 21, 2027. The solstice itself comes that evening, at 9:42 PM Eastern.