• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Weatherboy

Weatherboy Weather News, Maps, RADAR, Satellite, and Forecasts.

  • Local
  • Earth Science News
  • RADAR
  • Current Warnings
  • Satellite
  • Current Maps
  • Forecast Maps
  • Video

Summer Solstice Arrives

by Weatherboy Team Meteorologist - June 20, 2017

The Summer Solstice arrives at 12:24am on June 21, 2017
The Summer Solstice arrives at 12:24am on June 21, 2017.

The  Summer Solstice  occurs when a planet’s rotational axis, or geographic pole on either its northern or its southern hemisphere, is most inclined toward the star that it orbits. Here on Earth, the maximum axial tilt toward the Sun is 23.44°; on the summer solstice, the sun and is directly above the Tropic of Cancer.


Climatologists and meteorologists consider the start of “Meteorological Summer” to be June 1. And while it’s the season known for warm temperatures and tropical cyclones around North America, the Earth is actually closest to the Sun in the Winter. On January 4, the Earth will reach perihelion (peri meaning “near” and helion meaning “sun”) and the earth is 3.1 million miles closer to the sun than at aphelion (on July 3 when the earth is furthest from the sun). Earth’s distance from the sun is not what causes the seasons (it is the The Equinox and Solstice) but it does affect the length of them. Around perihelion the earth is moving around 2,240 miles per hour faster than at aphelion which results in winter being 5 days shorter than summer. The word “winter” comes from the Germanic wintar which in turn is derived from the root wed meaning ‘wet’ or water’, and so signifying a wet season. In Anglo-Saxon cultures, years were counted by the winters, so a person could be said to be “2 winters old”.

The summer solstice on June 21, also known as the longest day of the year, provides roughly 16 hours and 38 minutes of daylight.

 

 

Primary Sidebar

Sponsored Ad

Search

Latest News

  • Severe Weather Likely Across Broad Area on Friday
  • Heat Blast Expected from Texas to Florida and from Minnesota to Arkansas
  • Mid Atlantic to Become Extra Moist
  • Southeast Soaker Likely Next 72 Hours
  • Igloo Cooler Recalled Due to Amputation / Crushing Threat
  • Longtime TV Meteorologist Fired
  • Spacecraft Launched by Soviet Union in 1972 Crashed Back on Earth Today
  • Strong Tennessee Earthquake Reported by 35,000+ People
About | Careers | Contact | Contests
Terms | Privacy | Ad Choices
Weatherboy is a (R) Registered Trademark of isarithm LLC, All Rights Reserved.
All content herein is Copyright by Isarithm LLC 1997-2022