Daylight today
From sunrise to sunset, Raleigh has 10 hours 59 minutes today. That's 2 min 10 sec shorter than yesterday's day, and 1 hour 16 minutes longer than the darkest day of the past winter, December 21, 2025 (9 h 44 min). The days are getting shorter until the shortest day of the year.
What sets Raleigh apart
- Raleigh sits at about the latitude of Tehran, so their shortest and longest days are close to the same length.
- Its longest day is 4 h 51 min longer than its shortest: 14 h 35 min on the longest day against 9 h 44 min on the shortest.
- On its shortest day, December 22, Raleigh gets 9 h 44 min of daylight, 29th shortest of the 51 cities on DaySight.
First light and last light
Sunrise isn't when the day starts here. First light is at 7:04 AM, 26 minutes earlier, and last light at 6:55 PM, 26 minutes after sunset: 11 hours 51 minutes of light in Raleigh today, 10 h 59 min of it with the sun up. The sun is 6° below the horizon at each; how DaySight calculates these times.
Clock changes
On Sunday, November 1 the clocks go back. In Raleigh that takes sunset from 6:21 PM the day before to 5:20 PM, and sunrise from 7:36 AM to 6:37 AM. The light shifts to the morning, where it does the most good for sleep.
The year in Raleigh
In 2026 the days in Raleigh bottom out at 9 h 44 min on December 22 and peak at 14 h 35 min on June 21. The darkest evenings come before the shortest day (the earliest sunset is on November 30) and the darkest mornings after it (the latest sunrise is on January 3, 2027).
Raleigh's days run from 9 h 44 min to 14 h 35 min
Hours from sunrise to sunset on each day of 2026. Today is marked.
Source: DaySight, calculated from the sun's position over Raleigh.
Month by month
| Month | First light | Sunrise | Sunset | Last light | Sun up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:57 AM | 7:25 AMfirst light 6:57 | 5:25 PMlast light 5:52 | 5:52 PM | 10 h |
| February | 6:36 AM | 7:03 AMfirst light 6:36 | 5:57 PMlast light 6:23 | 6:23 PM | 10 h 54 min |
| March | 7:01 AM | 7:26 AMfirst light 7:01 | 7:22 PMlast light 7:48 | 7:48 PM | 11 h 56 min |
| April | 6:16 AM | 6:42 AMfirst light 6:16 | 7:48 PMlast light 8:14 | 8:14 PM | 13 h 6 min |
| May | 5:42 AM | 6:10 AMfirst light 5:42 | 8:13 PMlast light 8:42 | 8:42 PM | 14 h 3 min |
| June | 5:29 AM | 5:59 AMfirst light 5:29 | 8:33 PMlast light 9:03 | 9:03 PM | 14 h 34 min |
| July | 5:41 AM | 6:10 AMfirst light 5:41 | 8:32 PMlast light 9:01 | 9:01 PM | 14 h 21 min |
| August | 6:07 AM | 6:34 AMfirst light 6:07 | 8:06 PMlast light 8:33 | 8:33 PM | 13 h 32 min |
| September | 6:32 AM | 6:58 AMfirst light 6:32 | 7:24 PMlast light 7:49 | 7:49 PM | 12 h 26 min |
| October | 6:56 AM | 7:22 AMfirst light 6:56 | 6:40 PMlast light 7:06 | 7:06 PM | 11 h 19 min |
| November | 6:24 AM | 6:51 AMfirst light 6:24 | 5:09 PMlast light 5:36 | 5:36 PM | 10 h 17 min |
| December | 6:50 AM | 7:18 AMfirst light 6:50 | 5:03 PMlast light 5:31 | 5:31 PM | 9 h 45 min |
Nearby
- Charlotte, NC: 130 miles away, sunset today 6:39 PM.
- Sunrise and sunset in Virginia Beach: 166 miles away, sunset today 6:17 PM.
- Washington, DC: 233 miles away, sunset today 6:19 PM.
- Sunrise and sunset in Baltimore: 267 miles away, sunset today 6:17 PM.
All 51 cities: sunrise and sunset times by city.