Today in Houston
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Coordinates
| Latitude | 29.7604° |
| Longitude | -95.3698° |
| Timezone | America/Chicago |
| Elevation | 12 m |
Sunrise, sunset and sun path in Houston
Houston, Texas, United States · 29.7604°, -95.3698° · America/Chicago
The sun's path today
you stand at the centre; the rim is your horizonWhat the sun does here through the year
Houston sits at latitude 29.76°, which sets the whole shape of its year. The longest day runs to 14h 03m and the shortest shrinks to 10h 14m — a swing of 3h 50m between the two solstices.
The sun climbs to 83.7° above the horizon at midsummer noon, but only 36.8° at midwinter. That difference matters more than the daylight hours do, because a low sun is easily blocked: a 2 m fence casts a shadow 2.7 m long at midwinter noon here, against just 0.2 m in June.
Sunrise swings a long way round the horizon through the year. In Houston the sun comes up at a bearing of 62° (ENE) at the summer solstice and 117° (ESE) at the winter one — a spread of 55°. This is why a window that catches the sunrise in June can sit in shade all winter: the sun is simply rising somewhere else.
For anything you are aiming at the sun — solar panels, a greenhouse, a seating area — the useful rule here is that the sun spends the middle of the day roughly south of you, and reaches its yearly average noon height of about 60°. Panels at 26° facing south are close to the annual optimum at this latitude.
Sunrise and sunset by month in Houston
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | Noon sun | Sunrise bearing | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 07:17 | 17:44 | 10h 27m | 39.2° | ESE 114° | WSW 246° |
| February | 07:00 | 18:10 | 11h 10m | 47.8° | ESE 104° | WSW 256° |
| March | 07:30 | 19:29 | 11h 59m | 58.3° | E 92° | W 268° |
| April | 06:54 | 19:48 | 12h 54m | 70.2° | ENE 78° | WNW 282° |
| May | 06:28 | 20:07 | 13h 39m | 79.2° | ENE 68° | WNW 293° |
| June | 06:20 | 20:23 | 14h 03m | 83.6° | ENE 62° | WNW 298° |
| July | 06:31 | 20:23 | 13h 52m | 81.7° | ENE 65° | WNW 295° |
| August | 06:49 | 20:02 | 13h 13m | 74.1° | ENE 73° | WNW 286° |
| September | 07:06 | 19:26 | 12h 21m | 63.1° | E 86° | W 274° |
| October | 07:23 | 18:50 | 11h 28m | 51.5° | E 99° | W 260° |
| November | 06:46 | 17:25 | 10h 39m | 41.6° | ESE 111° | WSW 249° |
| December | 07:09 | 17:24 | 10h 15m | 37.0° | ESE 117° | WSW 243° |
Calculated for the 15th of each month in 2026, local time, including daylight saving. Bearings are compass degrees from north.
Frequently asked
What time does the sun rise and set in Houston?
At the summer solstice the sun rises at 06:21 and sets at 20:25. At the winter solstice it rises at 07:12 and sets at 17:26. All times are local to America/Chicago and include daylight saving where it applies.
How high does the sun get in Houston?
The midday sun reaches 83.7° above the horizon at the summer solstice and 36.8° at the winter solstice. At the equinoxes it sits at 60.3°.
How long is the longest day in Houston?
14h 03m from sunrise to sunset, against 10h 14m on the shortest day — a difference of 3h 50m.
Want this for your exact address?
These figures are for the centre of Houston. Sun times shift by only a few seconds per kilometre, so they hold across the whole city — but your own horizon does not. Use the tools to add the buildings, fences and trees that actually block your light.