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NYC won't see a sunset before 8 p.m. for next 3 months
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published May 11, 2025
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Ramsey Khalifeh
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Ramsey Khalifeh
Published May 11, 2025
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New Yorkers praised the heavens on Sunday after realizing the city would not see a sunset before 8 p.m. until mid-August.
The five boroughs crossed the cherished daylight threshold over the weekend, which was filled with sunny skies and the promise of better days ahead. The National Weather Service confirmed the sun would not set in New York City before 8 p.m. until Aug. 11.
“It’s kind of intoxicating, the amount of sunlight,” said Nasca Gordillo, 26, who should know: She used to live in San Diego, which has longer days than New York. “If you’re entitled to good weather year round, you forget how to value it.”
The sunsets will run even later as the city moves into the summer, a phenomenon caused by the tilt of the Earth’s axis. When the summer solstice — the longest day of the year — arrives on June 21, the sun won’t set on New York until 8:31 p.m., according to astronomical records.
As of Sunday, records show the city had 14 hours and 18 minutes of daylight per day. The figure is slated to exceed 15 hours by the time the solstice arrives.
While relaxing at Maria Hernandez Park, LIly McIntyre and Nathan Wesley hoped longer days would bring better vibes to the country's most important city.
Ramsey Khalifeh
“There’s not a cloud in the sky and it should be like that always,” remarked school teacher Lilly McIntyre as she basked in the glory of the sun as it shined upon Brooklyn’s Maria Hernandez Park. “It’s Mother’s Day and the mother of everyone is Mother Nature, and we appreciate her today along with all of our other moms.”
National Weather Service meteorologist Jay Engle warned New Yorkers against getting carried away with taking in the extra daylight, noting the sun’s ultraviolet rays can be deceptively dangerous this time of the year.
“Some people aren't aware that you can get sunburnt pretty easily, even when it's only 70 degrees,” Engle said. “And that's because we are getting what we would call more of a July type of sun right now in terms of how direct their sun's rays are and how strong they are.”
Engle said most people’s bodies aren’t acclimated to the direct sunlight coming out of the winter months, making them more likely to burn.
“If you don't have sunblock, you could burn very easily this time of year because you're getting a high sun angle,” he said. “It's just that the meteorology and the warmer weather lags it a little bit.”
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Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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