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The summer solstice on June 21, 2026 marks the official start of summer. <\/p>\n
Mike Eliason<\/p>\n
In less than a month, summer will officially start.<\/p>\n
California has already experienced \u201cabove-normal\u201d temperatures<\/a> ahead of the launch of the new season.<\/p>\n The June solstice marks the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere \u2014 and the longest day of the year.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what to know:<\/p>\n When does summer officially begin in 2026?<\/p>\n In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice takes place<\/a> annually on June 20, 21 or 22 depending on the year, the Old Farmer\u2019s Almanac said.<\/p>\n In 2026, the first day of summer falls on Sunday, June 21<\/a>, according to the online calendar Time and Date.<\/p>\n The summer solstice will take place on Monday, June 21, in 2027.<\/p>\n What is the summer solstice?<\/p>\n The summer solstice occurs when the sun travels to its highest point in the sky, according to the Old Farmer\u2019s Almanac.<\/p>\n Once this happens, Earth reaches a point in its orbit where the North Pole is at its highest tilt toward the sun.<\/p>\n This marks the beginning of the summer season in the Northern Hemisphere.<\/p>\n \u201cThe June solstice is significant because the sun reaches its northernmost point in the sky at this time, at which point the Sun\u2019s path does not change for a brief period of time,\u201d the almanac said.<\/p>\n When summer starts in the Northern Hemisphere, it\u2019s the beginning of winter in the Southern Hemisphere.<\/p>\n How can I observe the June solstice?<\/p>\n On June 21, you can observe the solstice by standing outside at 1:04 p.m. and taking a glance at your shadow, the Almanac said.<\/p>\n On the summer solstice, you\u2019ll cast the shortest shadow of the year due to the sun\u2019s tilt.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the origin of the word solstice? What does it mean?<\/p>\n According to online dictionary Merriam-Webster, the word \u201csolstice\u201d comes from<\/a> the Latin word solstitium, which loosely translates to \u201csun stopping.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s derived from two Latin words: sol, meaning \u201csun,\u201d and sistere, meaning \u201cto stand still.\u201d<\/p>\n What time will sunrise and sunset happen?<\/p>\n On Sunday, June 21 \u2014 the summer solstice \u2014 sunrise will occur<\/a> at 5:48 a.m. and sunset will be at 8:20 p.m., according to Time and Date.<\/p>\n On the longest day of the year, Californians will experience 14 hours, 39 minutes and 19 seconds of sunlight.<\/p>\n How quickly will California lose daylight?<\/p>\n After the summer solstice, the days begin to get progressively shorter.<\/p>\n The day after the summer solstice, California loses three seconds of daylight, according to Time and Date.<\/p>\n By the end of June, the state will have lost an additional two minutes and 13 seconds since the solstice.<\/p>\n By July 31, the days will be 39 minutes and 19 seconds shorter.<\/p>\n By the time the autumnal equinox<\/a>, the first day of fall, rolls around on Tuesday, Sept. 22, those in the Northern Hemisphere will have lost two hours and 31 minutes of sunlight, according to Time and Date.<\/p>\n The sun will rise at 6:50 a.m. on the fall equinox and set at 6:59 p.m., according to Time and Date said.<\/p>\n On that date Californians will experience 12 hours, eight minutes and 19 seconds of sunlight.<\/p>\n On Saturday, Sept. 26, we experience nearly equal hours of daylight versus nighttime, with 11 hours, 59 minutes and 23 seconds of daylight, according to Time and Date.<\/p>\n Loading\u2026<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n Alexiah Syrai Olsen<\/a><\/p>\n The Tribune<\/p>\n Alexiah Syrai Olsen is a service journalism reporter for The Tribune in San Luis Obispo, California. She earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in journalism and design from The New School in New York City.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n
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