How Much Daylight Your City Loses by the Winter Solstice

Between the June 21, 2026 and December 21, 2026 solstices, the American day shrinks by 2h 36m in Honolulu, about 5h 50m in New York, and 13h 52m in Anchorage. Every figure on this page is computed from solar geometry (NOAA algorithms via SunCalc) — find your state on the map or look up your ZIP.

Daylight lost by state, June 21 → December 21, 2026

Shading = hours of daylight the state's largest city loses between the solstices. Dots mark the largest metros plus the Anchorage and Honolulu extremes.

Honolulu −2.6hMiami −3.2hHouston −3.8hTampa −3.6hLos Angeles −4.6hDallas −4.3hAtlanta −4.5hPhoenix −4.5hLas Vegas −4.9hNew York −5.8hWashington −5.5hSan Francisco −5.2hDenver −5.6hSt. Louis −5.4hChicago −6.1hBoston −6.2hDetroit −6.2hMinneapolis −6.8hAnchorage −13.9hSeattle −7.6h
Computed from solar geometry (NOAA algorithms via SunCalc) at each state’s largest city; sunrise/sunset are standard top-of-disc horizon crossings. See methodology.

Find your city’s numbers

Enter a ZIP code for the longest day, the shortest day, and the total daylight your city loses between the 2026 solstices.

Solstice day lengths for 15 notable metros

CityLongest day (Jun 21)Shortest day (Dec 21)Daylight lostLosing now†
Anchorage, AK19h 21m5h 28m13h 52mlosing 3m 34s a day
Seattle, WA15h 59m8h 25m7h 34mlosing 1m 33s a day
Minneapolis, MN15h 37m8h 46m6h 51mlosing 1m 23s a day
Boston, MA15h 17m9h 5m6h 12mlosing 1m 14s a day
Chicago, IL15h 13m9h 8m6h 6mlosing 1m 13s a day
New York, NY15h 6m9h 15m5h 50mlosing 1m 9s a day
Denver, CO14h 59m9h 21m5h 38mlosing 1m 7s a day
Washington, DC14h 54m9h 26m5h 28mlosing 1m 5s a day
San Francisco, CA14h 47m9h 33m5h 14mlosing 1m 2s a day
Los Angeles, CA14h 26m9h 53m4h 33mlosing 54s a day
Atlanta, GA14h 24m9h 54m4h 30mlosing 53s a day
Phoenix, AZ14h 23m9h 55m4h 28mlosing 52s a day
Houston, TX14h 4m10h 14m3h 50mlosing 45s a day
Miami, FL13h 45m10h 32m3h 13mlosing 37s a day
Honolulu, HI13h 26m10h 50m2h 36mlosing 30s a day

†Per-day change in day length as of July 11, 2026 (this page’s reference date, not a live clock). All values computed from solar geometry (NOAA algorithms via SunCalc), accurate to about a minute.

The rhythm of the loss

The shrinking isn’t steady. Right after the June solstice a city loses only seconds of daylight a day; the pace builds through July and August and peaks at the September equinox — in New York, from losing 1m 9s a day in mid-July to losing 2m 41s a day on September 22. Then it decelerates again into the December 21, 2026 minimum, after which the whole cycle reverses.

Daylight saving time never changes these numbers — it only relabels the clock. In 2026, US clocks sprang forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026; the post-DST “dark at 5 PM” feeling in November is the clock shift stacked on top of the real astronomical loss mapped above.

Frequently asked

Which US city loses the most daylight by the winter solstice?
Anchorage, Alaska: from 19h 21m of daylight on June 21, 2026 down to 5h 28m on December 21, 2026 — a loss of 13h 52m, the largest of any major US city.
Which US city loses the least daylight?
Honolulu, Hawaii: its day only shrinks from 13h 26m to 10h 50m — a loss of 2h 36m, because day length varies least near the equator.
When do the days start getting shorter?
The day after the June solstice (June 21, 2026). The loss starts at seconds per day, accelerates through summer, and peaks around the September equinox before slowing into the December 21, 2026 solstice.
How fast are we losing daylight right now?
As of July 11, 2026, New York is losing 1m 9s a day; by the September equinox the pace roughly doubles to losing 2m 41s a day. Higher-latitude cities lose faster, lower-latitude cities slower.
Does daylight saving time change how much daylight there is?
No — DST only relabels the clock, shifting an hour of light to the evening. In 2026 US clocks went forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026; the amount of daylight is set entirely by latitude and the date.
When is the winter solstice in 2026?
December 21, 2026 — the shortest day of the year everywhere in the US, after which daylight starts returning.

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