You’re probably standing on the sand right now, or maybe you’re stuck in traffic on I-264, checking your phone to see if you’ve already missed it. Sunset today Virginia Beach is scheduled for exactly 5:14 PM. But honestly? If you show up at 5:14, you’ve already blown it. The best part of a coastal sunset isn't the moment the sun dips; it's the twenty-minute "blue hour" that happens right after when the sky turns those wild shades of violet and neon orange.
Virginia Beach is a weird spot for sunsets. Because we face East, the sun doesn't just drop into the ocean like it does in California. People get bummed out by that. They think they’re getting a "B-tier" show. They're wrong. When the sun goes down over the Chesapeake Bay or the inland marshes, the reflection off the water creates a glow that you just can't get on the West Coast. It’s softer. More layered.
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The Science of Why Today’s Colors Look Like That
Ever wonder why some nights the sky looks like a boring gray smudge and other nights it looks like a painting? It’s all about the aerosols. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the scattering of light—a process called Rayleigh scattering—is what gives us those deep reds. When the sun is low, the light has to travel through more of the Earth's atmosphere. This filters out the blues and violets, leaving the long-wavelength reds and oranges to hit your eyes.
Today’s humidity levels and cloud cover are the real MVPs here. We have a thin layer of cirrus clouds moving in from the west. These are high-altitude ice crystals. They act like a giant projection screen. When the sun gets below the horizon, it hits those crystals from underneath, lighting them up like they’re on fire. If it was perfectly clear, you’d just get a fading blue. You actually want some clouds, just not the thick, low-hanging gray ones that swallow the light whole.
Stop Going to the Boardwalk for Sunset Today Virginia Beach
Look, the Oceanfront is great for people-watching. It's iconic. But if you're looking for the sunset today Virginia Beach vibes, the Boardwalk is literally the worst place to be. You’re facing the wrong way. The hotels are tall. They cast giant shadows over the sand by 4:00 PM. You're basically sitting in a dark canyon while the rest of the city is glowing.
If you want the real deal, you have to head to the "Bayside."
First choice: First Landing State Park. Specifically, the beach access off Shore Drive. This is the spot. Because the shoreline curves here, you are actually facing West/Northwest over the Chesapeake Bay. You get the water, you get the sun hitting the horizon line, and you get the silhouettes of the fishing boats coming back into the Lynnhaven Inlet. It’s quiet. It’s sandy. It’s perfect.
Second choice: The Narrows. This is tucked away at the end of 64th Street. It’s where the locals go. You’re looking over Broad Bay. The water is usually still as a mirror. When the sun hits that glass-like surface, the symmetry is enough to make even a bad iPhone photo look like professional art. Plus, the pine trees frame the shot in a way the concrete hotels never could.
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Why Winter Sunsets Are Actually Better
It sounds counterintuitive. Why would you want to stand in 45-degree weather to watch the sun go down?
Science.
In the winter, the air is much drier. Summer air is thick with "haze"—essentially water droplets and pollutants that catch the light and blur it. It makes the sky look milky. In the winter, the atmosphere is crisp. This allows the colors to stay "pure." The reds are sharper. The oranges are more vivid. Today’s crisp air is going to make the transition from yellow to deep magenta much more distinct than it would be in July.
Also, the sun’s angle is different. During the winter solstice and the months surrounding it, the sun sets further south. This creates longer shadows and a "golden hour" that actually lasts longer than sixty minutes. You get more bang for your buck.
What the Experts Say About Timing
Photographers like Peter McKinnon or local VB legends often talk about the "Civil Twilight" phase. This is the period when the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon. For sunset today Virginia Beach, that’s roughly 5:14 PM to 5:41 PM.
Most people leave the beach the second the sun disappears.
Don't do that.
That is when the "Belt of Venus" appears—that pinkish band across the eastern horizon. It’s the Earth’s shadow rising into the atmosphere. It sounds nerdy, but it’s arguably more beautiful than the sun itself. If you stay an extra fifteen minutes, you’ll see the sky turn a deep, electric indigo.
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Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Checking the wrong weather app: Don't just look at the "Sun" icon. Look at the humidity percentage and the "Cloud Cover" metric. You want about 30% to 50% cloud cover for the most dramatic colors.
- Forgetting the wind chill: Shore Drive and the Bay get windy. Even if it feels okay inland, that breeze off the water will bite you. Bring a windbreaker.
- Ignoring the tide: If you’re at The Narrows, high tide can eat up the best sitting spots. Check the tide charts; today we’re looking at a receding tide toward the evening, which is great because it leaves behind wet sand that acts like a second mirror for the sky.
Actionable Steps for Today
If you’re reading this and it’s already 4:30 PM, stop reading and move.
- Go to Shore Drive: Aim for the beach access across from the various restaurants (like The Back Deck or Chick’s Oyster Bar).
- Set your exposure: If you're taking a photo, tap the brightest part of the sky on your screen and slide the brightness down. It forces the camera to capture the deep oranges instead of blowing them out into a white blob.
- Wait for the glow: Stay until 5:40 PM. The "second burn" often happens about 15 minutes after the official sunset time when the light hits the highest clouds.
- Check the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel: If you can see the lights of the bridge starting to twinkle, the contrast against the purple sky is your cue that the show is ending.
The sun waits for no one. Virginia Beach has a lot of tourist traps, but the sky isn't one of them. It's the one thing that's still free and still genuinely impressive every single night, provided you know which way to point your face.