Fairbanks daylight dates, winter 2026–27
| Earliest sunset | Friday, December 18, 2:39 pm |
|---|---|
| Shortest day | Monday, December 21, 3 h 41 min (sunrise 10:58 am, sunset 2:40 pm) |
| Latest sunrise | Thursday, December 24, 10:59 am |
| 4 hours of daylight | Friday, January 1 |
| First sunset after 3 pm | Monday, January 4 (3:02 pm) |
| 5 hours of daylight | Thursday, January 14 |
| 6 hours of daylight | Sunday, January 24 |
| 7 hours of daylight | Tuesday, February 2 |
| Longest day | Monday, June 21, 21 h 50 min |
The December solstice is at 11:50 am on December 21, Fairbanks time.
Daylight gained in Fairbanks, by date
| Date | Since solstice | Daylight | That day | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 | +20 min | 4 h 01 min | +3 min 17 sec | 10:54 am | 2:55 pm |
| Jan 15 | +1 h 27 min | 5 h 08 min | +5 min 47 sec | 10:26 am | 3:35 pm |
| Feb 1 | +3 h 16 min | 6 h 57 min | +6 min 43 sec | 9:36 am | 4:34 pm |
| Feb 15 | +4 h 51 min | 8 h 32 min | +6 min 50 sec | 8:49 am | 5:22 pm |
| Mar 1 | +6 h 26 min | 10 h 08 min | +6 min 47 sec | 8:00 am | 6:08 pm |
| Mar 15 | +8 h 01 min | 11 h 42 min | +6 min 44 sec | 8:09 am | 7:52 pm |
| Apr 1 | +9 h 56 min | 13 h 37 min | +6 min 46 sec | 7:07 am | 8:44 pm |
Fairbanks: questions people ask
How many hours of daylight does Fairbanks get in December?
4 h 40 min on December 1, falling to 3 h 41 min on the December 21 solstice (sunrise 10:58 am, sunset 2:40 pm). By December 31 it is back to 3 h 58 min. Twilight adds some usable light either side.
Why does the sun rise so late in Fairbanks in winter?
Fairbanks's clocks run ahead of the sun: on the shortest day the sun is highest at 12:49 pm, not at noon. So the morning gets less of the daylight, and the latest sunrise is 10:59 am on Thursday, December 24.
When does Fairbanks gain daylight fastest?
Around May 9, at 7 minutes, 2 seconds a day. That is about seven weeks after the March equinox: this far north the gain keeps speeding up into spring. On January 1 it is 3 minutes, 17 seconds a day.
How long is the longest day in Fairbanks?
21 h 50 min, on June 21, 2027. The sun rises at 2:58 am and sets at 12:48 am, after midnight. That is 18 hours, 9 minutes more daylight than on the shortest day.
Shortest day in nearby cities
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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).