Detroit daylight dates, winter 2026–27
| Earliest sunset | Tuesday, December 8, 5:00 pm |
|---|---|
| Shortest day | Monday, December 21, 9 h 05 min (sunrise 7:58 am, sunset 5:03 pm) |
| Latest sunrise | Sunday, January 3, 8:01 am |
| 10 hours of daylight | Monday, February 1 |
| First sunset after 6 pm | Friday, February 12 (6:01 pm) |
| 11 hours of daylight | Wednesday, February 24 |
| 12 hours of daylight | Thursday, March 18 |
| 13 hours of daylight | Thursday, April 8 |
| Longest day | Monday, June 21, 15 h 17 min |
The December solstice is at 3:50 pm on December 21, Detroit time. With daylight saving time the October 31 sunrise is later on the clock (8:04 am).
Daylight gained in Detroit, by date
| Date | Since solstice | Daylight | That day | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 | +4 min 14 sec | 9 h 09 min | +44 sec | 8:01 am | 5:10 pm |
| Jan 15 | +21 min | 9 h 26 min | +1 min 36 sec | 7:59 am | 5:25 pm |
| Feb 1 | +56 min | 10 h 00 min | +2 min 19 sec | 7:46 am | 5:46 pm |
| Feb 15 | +1 h 31 min | 10 h 36 min | +2 min 39 sec | 7:29 am | 6:04 pm |
| Mar 1 | +2 h 09 min | 11 h 14 min | +2 min 49 sec | 7:08 am | 6:22 pm |
| Mar 15 | +2 h 49 min | 11 h 54 min | +2 min 53 sec | 7:44 am | 7:39 pm |
| Apr 1 | +3 h 38 min | 12 h 43 min | +2 min 51 sec | 7:15 am | 7:58 pm |
Detroit: questions people ask
Why does the sun rise so late in Detroit in winter?
Detroit's clocks run ahead of the sun: on the shortest day the sun is highest at 12:30 pm, not at noon. So the morning gets less of the daylight, and the latest sunrise is 8:01 am on Sunday, January 3.
When is the earliest sunset in Detroit?
December 8, 2026, at 5:00 pm. That is 13 days before the shortest day, because solar noon drifts later through December. The evenings are already a little lighter by the solstice.
When does Detroit gain daylight fastest?
Around the March equinox, when it gains 2 minutes, 53 seconds a day (fastest on March 19). Right after the solstice the gain is small: 44 seconds a day on January 1, and 2 minutes, 19 seconds a day by February 1.
When do the clocks go forward in Detroit, and what happens to sunset?
On Sunday, March 14, 2027. Sunset jumps from 6:36 pm the day before to 7:37 pm, and sunrise from 6:48 am to 7:46 am. The day itself is about 2 minutes, 53 seconds longer.
Shortest day in nearby cities
- Toledo: 9 h 09 min
- Cleveland: 9 h 10 min
- Columbus: 9 h 20 min
- Pittsburgh: 9 h 17 min
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Sun times use NOAA's solar equations, checked against U.S. Naval Observatory tables. City data from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).