Sun times for Seattle
Washington, United States · 47.61°N 122.33°W — the widest gap between summer and winter daylight of any major US city.
- Latitude
- 47.6062°
- Longitude
- -122.3321°
- Time zone
- America/Los_Angeles
Sunrise
06:22 AM
Sunset
07:57 PM
Solar noon
01:10 PM
Sun at 51.9° above horizon
Day length
13h 35m
−3m 16s vs yesterday
Photography light
- Blue hour (morning)
- 05:50 AM – 06:03 AM
- Golden hour (morning)
- 06:22 AM – 07:04 AM
- Golden hour (evening)
- 07:15 PM – 07:57 PM
- Blue hour (evening)
- 08:16 PM – 08:29 PM
Twilight
- Astronomical dawn
- 04:28 AM
- Nautical dawn
- 05:11 AM
- Civil dawn
- 05:50 AM
- Civil dusk
- 08:29 PM
- Nautical dusk
- 09:08 PM
- Astronomical dusk
- 09:51 PM
Sun at solar noon: 51.9° elevation, bearing 180° (S). Times assume a flat horizon at sea level.
The year in Seattle
- Longest day
- 15h 59m
- Shortest day
- 8h 25m
- Sun's highest point
- 65.8°
- Sun's lowest noon
- 19.0°
Seattle sunrise and sunset by month
Times for the 15th of each month, local time, adjusted for daylight saving where it applies.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 07:52 | 16:45 | 8h 53m |
| February | 07:14 | 17:32 | 10h 18m |
| March | 07:21 | 19:15 | 11h 53m |
| April | 06:20 | 19:59 | 13h 39m |
| May | 05:31 | 20:40 | 15h 09m |
| June | 05:11 | 21:08 | 15h 58m |
| July | 05:27 | 21:02 | 15h 35m |
| August | 06:05 | 20:21 | 14h 16m |
| September | 06:46 | 19:21 | 12h 34m |
| October | 07:28 | 18:20 | 10h 53m |
| November | 07:14 | 16:32 | 9h 18m |
| December | 07:51 | 16:18 | 8h 27m |
Solar potential in Seattle
Seattle receives 3.418 kWh/m² per day on a horizontal surface, averaged over 30 years. Tilting panels to 33° raises annual output by 12%.
A typical home system is 5–10 kW. Roughly 15 panels for 6 kW.
S (180°) — ideal for the northern hemisphere
Estimated annual production
6,529 kWh
1,088 kWh per kW installed · 544 kWh a month on average
Monthly production
Best month 879 kWh · worst month 222 kWh · 4.0× swing
- Optimal tilt
- 33°
- Summer tilt
- 13°
- Winter tilt
- 64°
- Gain vs flat
- +12%
Based on NASA POWER 30-year climate averages for Seattle and a 78% system performance ratio. Long-term expectation, not a guarantee for any single year. Shading, roof pitch and local rules are not modelled.
Seattle sun and solar questions
- How much does daylight change through the year in Seattle?
- Seattle sits at 47.6° north. Its longest day runs 15h 59m and its shortest 8h 25m — a swing of 7h 34m.
- What angle should solar panels be in Seattle?
- 33° from horizontal, facing south, maximises annual production. That is about 12% more than laying panels flat. If you want to favour winter output, 64° is better; for summer, 13°.
- How much power would solar panels produce in Seattle?
- About 1,088 kWh per year for every kW installed, at the optimal angle. A typical 6 kW home system would produce roughly 6,529 kWh a year. Jul is the strongest month and Dec the weakest.
- How high does the sun get in Seattle?
- At the summer solstice the sun reaches 65.8° above the horizon at solar noon. At the winter solstice it only reaches 19.0°. That difference is what drives both the seasons and the ideal panel angle.
Sun times assume a flat horizon at sea level. Solar figures are long-term climate averages and do not account for shading, roof pitch or local regulations. See the methodology.