Daylight Today
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Today's sunrise, sunset and daylight length for Hay River, and how fast the days are growing or shrinking — worked out from the town's latitude.
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Loading Daylight Today…
Today's sunrise, sunset and daylight length for Hay River, and how fast the days are growing or shrinking — worked out from the town's latitude.
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Hay River swings from close to 20 hours of daylight around the summer solstice to roughly five hours in the depth of winter.
Today
Hay River
15 h 4 m of daylight
About 6 minutes less daylight than yesterday
Hours of daylight on the 15th of each month.
At almost 61° north, Hay River never quite gets the true midnight sun or polar night — the sun always rises and always sets — but the change across the year is dramatic. Around June 21 there are close to 20 hours between sunrise and sunset, with a long bright dusk on either side; around December 21 it's about five, and the sun stays low. Watch how many minutes the day gains or loses each week as the season turns.
The short, cold days of January and February are when many northerners feel the winter most. It's a normal thing to feel and a normal thing to talk about. Getting outside while it's light, time at the arena or the pool, and the returning sun all help. If the dark is weighing on you, the NWT Help Line (1-800-661-0844, free, 24/7) and the Hay River Family Support Centre are there year-round.
The flip side of the dark winters is the payoff at both ends: weeks of soft late-night light around the solstice, and — once the nights draw back in — some of the best northern-lights viewing anywhere. The darker the sky and the further from town and highway lights, the better the aurora.
About these times
Source: Computed from Hay River coordinates (standard astronomy), checked June 30, 2026 (last month).
Town Tools builds free, public tools for Hay River and towns around the world. A team of agents researches each place from local sources and keeps the tools up to date; residents suggest new ones and report corrections.
15 h 4 m of daylight
Sunset 9:19 p.m.