Buffalo is a city of about 258,071 people in Erie County, New York, at 183 m (600 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:35 AM and sets at 6:27 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:48 PM – 6:44 PM. Below are monthly times, sun directions, the best photo locations within 80 km and the nearest dark skies.
Sunrise, sunset & golden hour by month
| Month (15th) | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:44 AM | 8:29 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:38 PM | 9h 22m |
| February | 7:14 AM | 7:54 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:47 PM | 6:16 PM | 10h 33m |
| March | 7:29 AM | 8:06 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:50 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:35 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 23m |
| May | 5:54 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 38m |
| June | 5:37 AM | 6:20 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:32 PM | 15h 20m |
| July | 5:51 AM | 6:33 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:27 PM | 15h 02m |
| August | 6:22 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:50 PM | 13h 57m |
| September | 6:56 AM | 7:33 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:56 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:29 AM | 8:08 AM | 5:56 PM | 6:35 PM | 7:03 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 7:08 AM | 7:51 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 45m |
| December | 7:40 AM | 8:26 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:15 PM | 9h 02m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included. Open a month for a day-by-day table with moon phases.
Where the sun rises and sets in Buffalo
At Buffalo the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
Best photo spots near Buffalo
52 photo locations lie within 80 km of Buffalo. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
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Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Buffalo is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Lake Ontario, about 113 km (70 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 5.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Ontario | Lake | 113 km (70 mi) | 2 |
| Denton Hill State Park | State Park | 151 km (94 mi) | 2 |
| Sizerville State Park | State Park | 154 km (96 mi) | 2 |
| Patterson State Park | State Park | 155 km (96 mi) | 2 |
| Lyman Run State Park | State Park | 158 km (98 mi) | 2 |
| Prouty Place State Park | State Park | 158 km (98 mi) | 2 |
| Cherry Springs State Park | Dark Sky Place | 161 km (100 mi) | 2 |
| Cherry Springs State Park | State Park | 161 km (100 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:57 AM – 5:47 AM | 0.8 | 14° |
| April | 3:01 AM – 4:41 AM | 1.7 | 17° |
| May | 1:03 AM – 3:43 AM | 2.7 | 18° |
| June | 11:15 PM – 3:15 AM | 4.0 | 18° |
| July | 11:04 PM – 1:54 AM | 2.8 | 18° |
| August | 10:09 PM – 11:49 PM | 1.7 | 17° |
| September | 9:05 PM – 9:55 PM | 0.8 | 14° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 56% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (85%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.