Daylight hours in Zürich
Zürich gets 15h 56m of daylight on its longest day in June, and 8h 29m on its shortest in December — a difference of 7h 26m across the year.
How fast the days change
Around 17 March, Zürich gains or loses about 3.4 minutes of daylight every day.
Enough to notice over a fortnight, though the seasons arrive more gently here than further from the equator.
Sunrise and sunset by month
On the 15th of each month, in Europe/Zurich local time, daylight saving included.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | Solar noon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 08:08 | 17:01 | 8h 54m | 12:35 |
| February | 07:30 | 17:48 | 10h 18m | 12:39 |
| March | 06:38 | 18:30 | 11h 52m | 12:34 |
| April | 06:37 | 20:14 | 13h 37m | 13:25 |
| May | 05:49 | 20:55 | 15h 06m | 13:22 |
| June | 05:28 | 21:24 | 15h 56m | 13:26 |
| July | 05:44 | 21:18 | 15h 34m | 13:31 |
| August | 06:22 | 20:38 | 14h 16m | 13:30 |
| September | 07:03 | 19:38 | 12h 35m | 13:21 |
| October | 07:44 | 18:38 | 10h 54m | 13:11 |
| November | 07:30 | 16:50 | 9h 20m | 12:10 |
| December | 08:06 | 16:35 | 8h 29m | 12:20 |
Solstices and equinoxes
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 20 Mar | 06:28 | 18:37 | 12h 09m |
| June solstice | 21 Jun | 05:29 | 21:26 | 15h 57m |
| September equinox | 22 Sep | 07:12 | 19:24 | 12h 12m |
| December solstice | 21 Dec | 08:10 | 16:37 | 8h 27m |
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.
Other cities in Switzerland
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.