howmuchsun

Daylight hours in Riga

Riga gets 17h 50m of daylight on its longest day in June, and 6h 46m on its shortest in December — a difference of 11h 03m across the year.

How fast the days change

Around 17 March, Riga gains or loses about 4.9 minutes of daylight every day.

That is quick enough to notice week to week, which is why spring seems to arrive all at once this far from the equator.

Sunrise and sunset by month

On the 15th of each month, in Europe/Riga local time, daylight saving included.

MonthSunriseSunsetDaylightSolar noon
January 08:50 16:15 7h 25m 12:32
February 07:51 17:23 9h 32m 12:37
March 06:39 18:25 11h 47m 12:32
April 06:15 20:31 14h 16m 13:23
May 05:05 21:34 16h 29m 13:19
June 04:29 22:19 17h 50m 13:24
July 04:52 22:06 17h 15m 13:29
August 05:51 21:05 15h 14m 13:28
September 06:54 19:43 12h 49m 13:18
October 07:56 18:22 10h 25m 13:09
November 08:04 16:11 8h 07m 12:08
December 08:55 15:41 6h 46m 12:18

Solstices and equinoxes

DateSunriseSunsetDaylight
March equinox 20 Mar 06:25 18:36 12h 11m
June solstice 21 Jun 04:29 22:21 17h 52m
September equinox 22 Sep 07:08 19:23 12h 15m
December solstice 21 Dec 08:59 15:43 6h 43m

The equinoxes give almost exactly twelve hours of daylight everywhere on earth — "almost" because sunrise is defined by the sun's upper edge rather than its centre, and the atmosphere bends its light over the horizon before it has really arrived. Both lengthen the day by a few minutes.

Assumptions

  • Sea-level horizon. Hills, mountains and buildings all delay sunrise and bring sunset forward, sometimes by a lot in a valley.
  • Standard refraction. Sunrise is taken at −0.833°, allowing for the sun's disc and average atmospheric bending. Unusual air conditions shift it by a minute or two.
  • Local clock time, with daylight saving applied from the IANA timezone database.

Full methodology, sources and known limitations