Francis Beach · painted for this minute from Half Moon Bay State Beach’s own horizon and tonight’s cloud forecast
The sun is touching the horizon · overcast at 100%
The sun goes down at
5:12 PM
T-00:05:00It sets straight into the water, so the official sunset time is when you will see it go. Look west-south-west, to the right of Francis Beach. Golden hour starts at 4:34 PM.
Sunset Score · Overcast (100% cover): you may not see the sun go down. Try another night. Thin high clouds (100%) that turn pink after the sun goes down; mid-level clouds (100%) that glow orange from underneath; nothing low on the horizon, so you should see the sun all the way down.
Know Before You Go
Sunset
Due west
Open Pacific horizon from the blufftop trail
Best Spot
Francis Beach
Walk south on the coastal trail for the widest view
Entry
$10/day
CA State Parks day use fee -- cash or app
Waves
Mavericks
Big-wave break offshore -- visible on large winter swells
see you at sunset
Tonight’s times, the week ahead and the year by month are below. Half Moon Bay Sunset runs nightly, weather permitting, from about two hours before sunset.
Tonight, Monday, November 2, the sun sets at 5:12 PM at Half Moon Bay State Beach. It sets over open water here, so that is when you will see it go. Golden hour starts at 4:34 PM, and the sky stays light until about 5:38 PM. Tonight's Sunset Score is 3 out of 10. Overcast (100% cover): you may not see the sun go down. Try another night.
Sunrise today was at 6:37 AM, which gives Half Moon Bay State Beach 10 hr 35 min of daylight. It is fully dark by about 6:09 PM.
The next seven evenings at Half Moon Bay State 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 | 5:12 PM | from 4:34 PM | 5:38 PM | 100% | 3/10 |
| Tue Nov 3 | 5:11 PM | from 4:33 PM | 5:37 PM | 95% | 3/10 |
| Wed Nov 4 | 5:10 PM | from 4:32 PM | 5:36 PM | 10% | 5/10 |
| Thu Nov 5 | 5:09 PM | from 4:31 PM | 5:35 PM | 0% | 5/10 |
| Fri Nov 6 | 5:08 PM | from 4:30 PM | 5:35 PM | 100% | 3/10 |
| Sat Nov 7 | 5:07 PM | from 4:29 PM | 5:34 PM | 0% | 5/10 |
| Sun Nov 8 | 5:07 PM | from 4:28 PM | 5:33 PM | 0% | 5/10 |
Tonight the sun goes down in the west-south-west (252° on a compass), to the right of Francis Beach as you face the water. The favorite place to watch is Francis Beach.
Tonight’s timeline for Half Moon Bay 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 (300°); around December 21 it goes down furthest south, in the west-south-west (241°). In June it drops behind land 5158 feet away. In December it sets over open water.
Golden hour tonight runs from 4:34 PM to sunset at 5:12 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 5:28 PM to 5:49 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 4:53 PM (Mon Dec 7) and the latest is 8:36 PM (Mon Jun 28). Times are local and include daylight saving time where it applies.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | 6:51 AM | 5:01 PM | 10 hr 10 min |
| December 2026 | 7:19 AM | 4:54 PM | 9 hr 36 min |
| January 2027 | 7:25 AM | 5:16 PM | 9 hr 51 min |
| February 2027 | 7:01 AM | 5:50 PM | 10 hr 49 min |
| March 2027 | 7:23 AM | 7:18 PM | 11 hr 55 min |
| April 2027 | 6:37 AM | 7:46 PM | 13 hr 9 min |
| May 2027 | 6:02 AM | 8:13 PM | 14 hr 11 min |
| June 2027 | 5:50 AM | 8:34 PM | 14 hr 44 min |
| July 2027 | 6:02 AM | 8:32 PM | 14 hr 30 min |
| August 2027 | 6:27 AM | 8:05 PM | 13 hr 38 min |
| September 2027 | 6:53 AM | 7:20 PM | 12 hr 27 min |
| October 2027 | 7:19 AM | 6:35 PM | 11 hr 16 min |
The official sunset time is when the top of the sun sinks below a flat sea horizon. We also check Half Moon Bay State 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 5:12 PM at Half Moon Bay State Beach today (Monday, November 2).
The sun rose at 6:37 AM at Half Moon Bay State Beach today.
10 hr 35 min of daylight, from 6:37 AM to 5:12 PM.
Golden hour at Half Moon Bay State Beach runs from 4:34 PM to sunset at 5:12 PM, when the sun is low and the light turns warm and soft. Blue hour follows, from 5:28 PM to 5:49 PM.
The sky stays light enough to see without a flashlight until about 5:38 PM, the end of civil twilight. It is fully dark by about 6:09 PM.
Tonight's Sunset Score is 3 out of 10, from the cloud forecast at sunset. Overcast (100% cover): you may not see the sun go down. Try another night.
Tonight the sun sets in the west-south-west, at 252° on a compass. Through the year it moves between the west-north-west in June and the west-south-west in December.
Yes. Tonight the sun sets over open water, to the west-south-west.
Over the next year the earliest sunset at Half Moon Bay State Beach is 4:53 PM on Monday, December 7, and the latest is 8:36 PM on Monday, June 28.
Francis Beach is the favorite spot at Half Moon Bay State Beach. Get there 30 to 45 minutes before sunset for a good place, and stay 20 minutes after for the afterglow.
| Ocean Beach San Francisco sunset | 18 mi | 5:12 PM |
|---|---|---|
| Baker Beach sunset | 21 mi | 5:12 PM |
| Muir Beach sunset | 26 mi | 5:12 PM |
| Stinson Beach sunset | 30 mi | 5:12 PM |
| Santa Cruz Beach sunset | 44 mi | 5:11 PM |
| Capitola Beach sunset | 46 mi | 5:11 PM |
See every beach on one map: sunset times tonight across the US →