DENVER (KDVR) — The longest day of the year, also known as the summer solstice, occurs when the Earth is tilted toward the sun at its most extreme angle. During this time, the U.S. will see the most daylight hours of the year.
The summer solstice usually happens towards the end of June. This year, cities will see the longest day on June 20, the first day of summer. On this date, major cities across the nation will see as much as 15 hours of sunlight, with one northern capital getting over 18 hours of sun.
Here’s a look at how much daylight major U.S. cities will get:
CitySunriseSunsetLength of dayJuneau, Alaska3:51 a.m.10:08 p.m.18 hours 17 minutesBismarck, North Dakota5:49 a.m.9:41 p.m.15 hours 52 minutesPortland, Oregon5:22 a.m.9:03 p.m.15 hours 41 minutesBurlington, Vermont5:08 a.m.8:41 p.m.15 hours 33 minutesGreen Bay, Wisconsin5:07 a.m.8:40 p.m.15 hours 33 minutesSioux Falls, South Dakota5:46 a.m.9:12 p.m.15 hours 26 minutesLansing, Michigan6 a.m.9:20 p.m.15 hours 20 minutesSpringfield, Massachusetts5:14 a.m.8:30 p.m.15 hours 16 minutesProvidence, Rhode Island5:11 a.m.8:24 p.m.15 hours 13 minutesHartford, Connecticut5:16 a.m.8:29 p.m.15 hours 13 minutesChicago, Illinois5:16 a.m.8:29 p.m.15 hours 13 minutesDes Moines, Iowa5:41 a.m.8:52 p.m.15 hours 11 minutesNew York City, New York5:25 a.m.8:31 p.m.15 hours 6 minutesHarrisburg, Pennsylvania5:38 a.m.8:40 p.m.15 hours 2 minutesColumbus, Ohio6:03 a.m.9:04 p.m.15 hours 1 minuteDenver, Colorado5:32 a.m.8:31 p.m.14 hours 59 minutesIndianapolis, Indiana6:17 a.m.9:16 p.m.14 hours 59 minutesTopeka, Kansas5:57 a.m.8:52 p.m.14 hours 55 minutesKansas City, Missouri5:53 a.m.8:48 p.m.14 hours 55 minutesWashington, D.C.5:43 a.m.8:37 p.m.14 hours 54 minutesSacramento, California5:42 a.m.8:33 p.m.14 hours 51 minutesCharleston, West Virginia6:03 a.m.8:54 p.m.14 hours 51 minutesBillings, Montana5:24 a.m.9:08 p.m.14 hours 51 minutesLexington, Kentucky6:16 a.m.9:04 p.m.14 hours 48 minutesRichmond, Virginia5:49 a.m.8:34 p.m.14 hours 45 minutesLas Vegas, Nevada5:24 a.m.8:01 p.m.14 hours 37 minutesNashville, Tennessee5:30 a.m.8:07 p.m.14 hours 37 minutesRaleigh, North Carolina5:59 a.m.8:34 p.m.14 hours 35 minutesOklahoma City, Oklahoma6:15 a.m.8:48 p.m.14 hours 33 minutesAlbuquerque, New Mexico5:53 a.m.8:24 p.m.14 hours 31 minutesLittle Rock, Arkansas5:56 a.m.8:25 p.m.14 hours 29 minutesBirmingham, Alabama5:38 a.m.8 p.m.14 hours 22 minutesCharleston, South Carolina6:12 a.m.8:31 p.m.14 hours 19 minutesJackson, Mississippi5:54 a.m.8:11 p.m.14 hours 17 minutesSavannah, Georgia6:19 a.m.8:34 p.m.14 hours 15 minutesBaton Rouge, Louisiana6:03 a.m.8:10 p.m.14 hours 7 minutesAustin, Texas6:30 a.m.8:36 p.m.14 hours 6 minutesTampa, Florida6:34 a.m.8:29 p.m.13 hours 55 minutesHonolulu, Hawaii5:50 a.m.7:16 p.m.13 hours 26 minutes
These times were collected from NOAA’s Solar Calculator, which uses “apparent” sunrises and sunsets, or when light is visible in the atmosphere before (sunrise) or after (sunset) the sun actually crosses the horizon.
In any case, many cities will get to enjoy the longest “days” of the year around the summer solstice. Denver, for example, will see almost 15 hours of daylight, or about six more hours of daylight than the Mile High City’s “shortest day,” which falls on the winter solstice when the Earth is tilted away from the sun. On that day, other cities see even fewer hours of sunlight, with areas in Alaska getting as little as six.
Luckily, the summer is making up for the dark days of December, giving the most sunlight to cities that saw some of the least over the winter. Juneau, Alaska, for instance, is getting about 18 hours of sun by the end of June, compared to just over six hours during the winter solstice.
