Cleveland is a city of about 365,379 people in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, at 199 m (653 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:45 AM and sets at 6:40 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:02 PM – 6:57 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 | 7:52 AM | 8:34 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:53 PM | 9h 30m |
| February | 7:23 AM | 8:02 AM | 5:22 PM | 6:01 PM | 6:29 PM | 10h 38m |
| March | 7:40 AM | 8:16 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:01 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:48 AM | 7:25 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:36 PM | 13h 19m |
| May | 6:09 AM | 6:48 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:11 PM | 14h 31m |
| June | 5:53 AM | 6:35 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:37 PM | 15h 10m |
| July | 6:07 AM | 6:47 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:33 PM | 14h 54m |
| August | 6:36 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:28 PM | 8:58 PM | 13h 52m |
| September | 7:08 AM | 7:44 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:06 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 7:39 AM | 8:17 AM | 6:10 PM | 6:47 PM | 7:15 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 7:16 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:27 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:38 PM | 9h 52m |
| December | 7:47 AM | 8:31 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:30 PM | 9h 12m |
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 Cleveland
At Cleveland the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
Best photo spots near Cleveland
56 photo locations lie within 80 km of Cleveland. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
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Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Cleveland is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Pymatuning State Park, about 100 km (62 mi) away (Bortle 3). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 6.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pymatuning State Park | State Park | 100 km (62 mi) | 3 |
| Lake Erie | Lake | 101 km (63 mi) | 3 |
| Harrington Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 113 km (70 mi) | 3 |
| Conneaut Lake | Lake | 116 km (72 mi) | 3 |
| Helmick Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 125 km (78 mi) | 3 |
| Rock Creek Falls | Waterfall | 127 km (79 mi) | 3 |
| Maurice K. Goddard State Park | State Park | 129 km (80 mi) | 3 |
| Erie National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 145 km (90 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:56 AM – 5:56 AM | 1.0 | 16° |
| April | 2:57 AM – 4:57 AM | 2.0 | 19° |
| May | 12:55 AM – 4:05 AM | 3.2 | 20° |
| June | 11:13 PM – 3:43 AM | 4.5 | 20° |
| July | 11:03 PM – 2:13 AM | 3.2 | 20° |
| August | 10:13 PM – 12:13 AM | 2.0 | 19° |
| September | 9:13 PM – 10:13 PM | 1.0 | 16° |
| October | 8:20 PM – 8:20 PM | 0.0 | 10° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 58% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (84%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.