Cape Fear River · painted for this minute from Carolina Beach’s own horizon and tonight’s cloud forecast
Golden hour · the sun is 0.7° up · clear at 22%
The sun goes down at
5:16 PM
T-00:05:00Carolina Beach faces east, so the sun goes down behind you, over land, 4 min before the official sunset time of 5:20 PM. Face the water for the pink afterglow in the half hour after. Best light from 4:56 PM to 5:46 PM.
Sunset Score · Mostly clear (30% cloud): a good, dependable glow. Mid-level clouds (30%) that glow orange from underneath; nothing low on the horizon, so you should see the sun all the way down.
Know Before You Go
Access
free
marina & river side
Best spot
the marina
west over the river
Wildlife
dolphins
in the river at dusk
see you at sunset
Tonight’s times, the week ahead and the year by month are below. Carolina Beach Sunset runs nightly, weather permitting, from about two hours before sunset.
Tonight, Monday, November 2, the sun sets at 5:20 PM at Carolina Beach. Carolina Beach faces east, so the sun goes down behind the beach, over land. Turn and face the water for the pink and purple afterglow in the half hour after. Golden hour starts at 4:43 PM, and the sky stays light until about 5:44 PM. Tonight's Sunset Score is 7 out of 10. Mostly clear (30% cloud): a good, dependable glow.
Sunrise today was at 6:33 AM, which gives Carolina Beach 10 hr 46 min of daylight. It is fully dark by about 6:14 PM.
The next seven evenings at Carolina Beach: when the sun goes down, when golden hour starts and when the last light fades, plus the Sunset Score from each night's cloud forecast.
| Day | Sunset | Golden hour | Last light | Cloud | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tonight | 5:20 PM | from 4:43 PM | 5:44 PM | 30% | 7/10 |
| Tue Nov 3 | 5:19 PM | from 4:42 PM | 5:44 PM | 0% | 5/10 |
| Wed Nov 4 | 5:18 PM | from 4:41 PM | 5:43 PM | 32% | 9/10 |
| Thu Nov 5 | 5:17 PM | from 4:40 PM | 5:42 PM | 100% | 3/10 |
| Fri Nov 6 | 5:16 PM | from 4:40 PM | 5:41 PM | 100% | 3/10 |
| Sat Nov 7 | 5:15 PM | from 4:39 PM | 5:40 PM | 13% | 7/10 |
| Sun Nov 8 | 5:15 PM | from 4:38 PM | 5:40 PM | 11% | 7/10 |
Carolina Beach faces east, away from the sunset. The sun goes down behind you, over land, so the view to catch is the afterglow: the band of pink above the dark blue shadow of the earth rising over the water, best from sunset to about 30 minutes after.
Tonight’s timeline for Carolina Beach Sunset is at the top of this page.
The spot where the sun sets moves along the horizon through the year. Around June 21 it goes down furthest north, in the west-north-west (299°); around December 21 it goes down furthest south, in the west-south-west (242°). In June it sets behind the beach. In December it sets behind the beach.
Golden hour tonight runs from 4:43 PM to sunset at 5:20 PM. The sun is low, the light is warm and soft, and shadows are long. It is the best time for photos of people on the beach.
Blue hour follows, from about 5:34 PM to 5:54 PM, when the sun is below the horizon and the sky turns deep blue. The first lights come on along the shore and the water holds the last of the color.
Sunrise, sunset and daylight on the 15th of each month. Over the next year the earliest sunset is 5:04 PM (Sat Dec 5) and the latest is 8:28 PM (Tue Jun 29). Times are local and include daylight saving time where it applies.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | 6:45 AM | 5:10 PM | 10 hr 24 min |
| December 2026 | 7:11 AM | 5:05 PM | 9 hr 54 min |
| January 2027 | 7:18 AM | 5:26 PM | 10 hr 8 min |
| February 2027 | 6:58 AM | 5:56 PM | 10 hr 58 min |
| March 2027 | 7:24 AM | 7:20 PM | 11 hr 56 min |
| April 2027 | 6:42 AM | 7:43 PM | 13 hr 1 min |
| May 2027 | 6:12 AM | 8:07 PM | 13 hr 55 min |
| June 2027 | 6:01 AM | 8:26 PM | 14 hr 24 min |
| July 2027 | 6:12 AM | 8:25 PM | 14 hr 13 min |
| August 2027 | 6:34 AM | 8:01 PM | 13 hr 27 min |
| September 2027 | 6:56 AM | 7:21 PM | 12 hr 25 min |
| October 2027 | 7:17 AM | 6:40 PM | 11 hr 22 min |
The official sunset time is when the top of the sun sinks below a flat sea horizon. We also check Carolina Beach’s real horizon: the hills, headlands and islands you can see from the sand. When land is in the way, the sun disappears before the official time, and we show you that earlier time. The Sunset Score rates how colorful the sky should be from the cloud forecast at sunset. Buildings are not included, so a tall hotel beside you can still hide the last minute.
The sun sets at 5:20 PM at Carolina Beach today (Monday, November 2).
The sun rose at 6:33 AM at Carolina Beach today.
10 hr 46 min of daylight, from 6:33 AM to 5:20 PM.
Golden hour at Carolina Beach runs from 4:43 PM to sunset at 5:20 PM, when the sun is low and the light turns warm and soft. Blue hour follows, from 5:34 PM to 5:54 PM.
The sky stays light enough to see without a flashlight until about 5:44 PM, the end of civil twilight. It is fully dark by about 6:14 PM.
Tonight's Sunset Score is 7 out of 10, from the cloud forecast at sunset. Mostly clear (30% cloud): a good, dependable glow.
Carolina Beach faces east, so the sun sets behind the beach, over land. Tonight it goes down in the west-south-west.
No. Carolina Beach faces east, so the sun sets behind you, over land. The show over the water is the afterglow in the half hour after sunset.
Over the next year the earliest sunset at Carolina Beach is 5:04 PM on Saturday, December 5, and the latest is 8:28 PM on Tuesday, June 29.
Cape Fear River is the favorite spot at Carolina Beach. Get there 30 to 45 minutes before sunset for a good place, and stay 20 minutes after for the afterglow.
| Wrightsville Beach sunset | 13 mi | 5:19 PM |
|---|---|---|
| Myrtle Beach sunset | 62 mi | 5:24 PM |
| Isle of Palms sunset | 139 mi | 5:29 PM |
| Sullivan's Island sunset | 143 mi | 5:29 PM |
| Folly Beach sunset | 152 mi | 5:30 PM |
| Kiawah Island sunset | 160 mi | 5:30 PM |
See every beach on one map: sunset times tonight across the US →