Look up the exact time darkness falls in Washington, District of Columbia for any date of the year. Sunset times, civil dusk, full twilight schedule, and daylight changes.
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Today — Wednesday, November 4, 2026
It gets dark at 05:32 PM in Washington
Sunrise
06:38 AM
Sunset
05:04 PM
Gets Dark
05:32 PM
Day Length
10h 26m
Washington is losing 2m 9s of daylight per day
Darkness arrives earliest on December 6 at 5:15 PM and latest on June 27 at 9:09 PM, a swing of 3 h 54 min across the year.
The longest day brings 14 h 54 min of daylight and the shortest just 9 h 26 min. The earliest dusk comes about 15 days away from the shortest day, because Earth's oval orbit shifts solar noon through the year.
After sunset, twilight lasts about 27 min at the March equinox and stretches to 32 min in midsummer. Near the equator it is only about 21 min year-round.
In Washington, on 48 evenings it stays light until after 9 pm, while on 95 days it is dark before 6 pm.
Washington sits close to the middle of its time zone, so the sun is highest within 6 min of noon on standard time.
Washington lies 4,325 km (2,687 miles) north of the equator at 38.90°N. That is almost the same latitude as Denver, so both see a similar yearly rhythm of daylight.
This page shows exactly when it gets dark in Washington, District of Columbia, United States for any day of the year. The interactive tool above lets you pick any date to see the precise sunset time, civil dusk (when true darkness begins), and the full twilight schedule including nautical and astronomical dawn and dusk.
Washington is located at latitude 38.90° and longitude -77.04°. The time darkness falls changes throughout the year based on Earth's axial tilt — earlier in winter, later in summer. Use the date picker above to check any date.
Whether you're planning trick-or-treating for Halloween, a fireworks display, an outdoor wedding, or an evening event in Washington, knowing the exact time darkness falls is essential. This tool calculates civil dusk — when the sun drops 6 degrees below the horizon — for any date at Washington's exact coordinates.
The site also shows the daily daylight delta — how much daylight Washington is gaining or losing each day — and a year-long daylight curve showing how day length rises and falls across all 365 days.