Here's how the longest day of the year breaks down in Canada's cities

Jun 18 2020, 7:14 pm

The longest day of the year (for this hemisphere, at least) is coming up this Saturday, June 20, marking the summer solstice for much of the world’s population.

A long day means early sunrises and late sunsets, but even within Canada the timing can fluctuate between cities. Some will be seeing an earlier sunset, and even shorter days, than their counterparts in other provinces.

Out of the five Canadian cities that Daily Hive covers — Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, and Montreal — Edmonton will be seeing the longest day of the year according to timeanddate.com, thanks to its more northern latitude.

The sun is expected to rise in Edmonton at a bright and early 5:04 am on July 20, and won’t set until 10:07 pm after a total of 17 hours, two minutes, and 43 seconds in the sky.

Unsurprisingly, Calgary is a close second, with a total 16:33:16 daylight, and sunrises and sunsets at 5:21 am and 9:54 pm, respectively.

Though Vancouver has a stunning view of the sunset until the very last moment as it dips below the Pacific Ocean, the West Coast actually sees an earlier sunset than their neighbours on the other side of the Rockies.

Vancouver’s June 20 sun will rise at 5:06 am sharp, yet will set at 9:21 pm for a grand daylight total of 16:14:59.

Montreal and Toronto, which are both located beneath the 49th Parallel, see significantly less daylight than their counterparts in Western Canada.

Montreal also faces an early sunrise at 5:05 am on its own longest day of the year, but the sun will set at an early 8:46 pm for just 15:41:05.

Toronto is to see the darkest day of all of our cities this Saturday, with a total of just 15 hours, 26 minutes, and 32 seconds of daylight.

The sun will rise at 5:36 am and set at 9:02 pm over Toronto this June 20 to mark both the start of summer and the beginning of our steady descent towards Monday, December 21 — the shortest day of the year.

So enjoy these long, sunny days while you can, Canada!

Chandler WalterChandler Walter

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