Current Time in Seattle
United States — America/Los_Angeles
About Time in Seattle
Seattle operates on Pacific Time (IANA: America/Los_Angeles). During standard time, this is Pacific Standard Time (PST) at UTC-8, shifting to Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) at UTC-7 during daylight saving time. The transitions follow the US standard: second Sunday of March (spring forward) and first Sunday of November (fall back).
Seattle is 3 hours behind New York, 8 hours behind London in winter, and 17 hours behind Tokyo. Its position in the Pacific Northwest puts it geographically closer to Asia-Pacific markets than any other major US tech hub, which is reflected in the strong trade relationships between Seattle and cities like Tokyo, Seoul, and Shanghai.
Being at approximately 47.6 degrees north latitude, Seattle experiences dramatic seasonal variations in daylight. In summer during PDT, the sun does not set until nearly 9:15 PM, while in winter during PST, sunset comes as early as 4:18 PM. This extreme variation in daylight has a noticeable effect on the city's culture, with summer evenings being famously long and winters driving Seattle's renowned indoor coffee culture.
Time Facts
Seattle's latitude means it gets over 16 hours of daylight on the summer solstice but fewer than 8.5 hours on the winter solstice — a swing of nearly 8 hours between seasons.
Amazon's global operations run on Pacific Time from its Seattle headquarters, meaning its daily 'stand-up' meetings at 9 AM PT require teams in Luxembourg, Hyderabad, and Tokyo to join at very different local times.
Washington state legislators have repeatedly passed bills to adopt permanent daylight saving time (UTC-7 year-round), but federal law requires Congressional approval to implement it.
The Port of Seattle is the closest major US port to Asia — container ships from Shanghai reach Seattle roughly 2 days faster than they reach Los Angeles, a geographic advantage tied to the Great Circle route across the North Pacific.
Business Hours
Standard business hours in Seattle are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM PT (17:00-01:00 UTC during PST, 16:00-00:00 UTC during PDT).