SAN DIEGO — Thursday marks the official start to the 2024 summer season in the Northern Hemisphere.
This year's Summer Solstice is Thursday, June 20, 2024 at 1:50 p.m. Sunrise will be at 5:41 a.m. and sunset will be at 7:59 p.m., giving 14 hours and 18 minutes of daylength. The Summer Solstice is roughly 4 hours and 19 minutes longer than the Winter Solstice that takes place in December, which signals the start of the winter season.
This Summer Solstice marks the earliest one since June 20, 1796. At that time, George Washington was President, and there were 16 states in the Union. The early timing is in relation to the Earth's yearly orbit around the Sun, the daily rotation of the Sun, and how the solstice is marked on the calendar.
From now through the end of the year, we will slowly lose time on our day length, beginning with just a few seconds shorter for the next few weeks, but then losing close to two minutes a day by September. The summer in the Northern Hemisphere marks the North Pole's maximum tilt toward the sun and also the Sun reaching the highest point in the sky for the longest duration.
In the Southern Hemisphere, Thursday will mark the first day of Winter.
Watch Related: Steady temperatures through the summer solstice, warming up for the San Diego weekend (Jun 19, 2024)