Today in Seattle
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Coordinates
| Latitude | 47.6062° |
| Longitude | -122.3321° |
| Timezone | America/Los_Angeles |
| Elevation | 53 m |
Sunrise, sunset and sun path in Seattle
Seattle, Washington, United States · 47.6062°, -122.3321° · America/Los Angeles
The sun's path today
you stand at the centre; the rim is your horizonWhat the sun does here through the year
Seattle sits at latitude 47.61°, which sets the whole shape of its year. The longest day runs to 15h 59m and the shortest shrinks to 8h 25m — a swing of 7h 34m between the two solstices.
The sun climbs to 65.8° above the horizon at midsummer noon, but only 19.0° 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 5.8 m long at midwinter noon here, against just 0.9 m in June.
Sunrise swings a long way round the horizon through the year. In Seattle the sun comes up at a bearing of 53° (NE) at the summer solstice and 125° (SE) at the winter one — a spread of 72°. 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 42°. Panels at 39° facing south are close to the annual optimum at this latitude.
Sunrise and sunset by month in Seattle
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | Noon sun | Sunrise bearing | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 07:52 | 16:45 | 8h 53m | 21.4° | ESE 121° | WSW 239° |
| February | 07:14 | 17:32 | 10h 18m | 30.0° | ESE 108° | WSW 252° |
| March | 07:21 | 19:14 | 11h 53m | 40.5° | E 92° | W 268° |
| April | 06:19 | 19:58 | 13h 39m | 52.4° | ENE 74° | WNW 286° |
| May | 05:31 | 20:40 | 15h 09m | 61.4° | ENE 60° | WNW 300° |
| June | 05:10 | 21:08 | 15h 58m | 65.7° | NE 53° | NW 307° |
| July | 05:27 | 21:03 | 15h 35m | 63.8° | NE 56° | NW 304° |
| August | 06:05 | 20:21 | 14h 16m | 56.2° | ENE 68° | WNW 292° |
| September | 06:47 | 19:21 | 12h 34m | 45.2° | E 85° | W 275° |
| October | 07:28 | 18:21 | 10h 53m | 33.7° | ESE 102° | WSW 258° |
| November | 07:15 | 16:32 | 9h 18m | 23.8° | ESE 117° | WSW 243° |
| December | 07:51 | 16:18 | 8h 27m | 19.1° | SE 125° | SW 235° |
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 Seattle?
At the summer solstice the sun rises at 05:11 and sets at 21:10. At the winter solstice it rises at 07:54 and sets at 16:20. All times are local to America/Los Angeles and include daylight saving where it applies.
How high does the sun get in Seattle?
The midday sun reaches 65.8° above the horizon at the summer solstice and 19.0° at the winter solstice. At the equinoxes it sits at 42.5°.
How long is the longest day in Seattle?
15h 59m from sunrise to sunset, against 8h 25m on the shortest day — a difference of 7h 34m.
Want this for your exact address?
These figures are for the centre of Seattle. 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.