Countdown to Summer
The timer counts down to the June solstice, the moment astronomical summer begins in the Northern Hemisphere, and shows when it happens on your own clock.
Time left until Summer
- ––days
- ––hours
- ––minutes
- ––seconds
Summer starts at one exact instant: the June solstice, when the Sun reaches its farthest point north of the equator.
June solstice dates
| Year | Date | Weekday | Exact moment (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | June 21 | Monday | 14:11 |
| 2028 | June 20 | Tuesday | 20:02 |
| 2029 | June 21 | Thursday | 01:48 |
| 2030 | June 21 | Friday | 07:31 |
| 2031 | June 21 | Saturday | 13:17 |
| 2032 | June 20 | Sunday | 19:09 |
At the solstice the Sun stands directly above the Tropic of Cancer at noon, and every place north of the equator has its longest day of the year. The moment is the same everywhere on Earth, but the clock time is not: the countdown converts it to your own time zone, which is why it may fall on June 20 for some readers and June 21 or even 22 for others.
The date wanders because our calendar and Earth's orbit do not line up exactly. A year of 365 days is about six hours shorter than one trip around the Sun, so the solstice arrives a little later each year until a leap year resets it.
Astronomical or meteorological summer
There are two common ways to say when summer begins. The astronomical season runs from the June solstice to the September equinox. Meteorologists prefer whole months, because statistics are easier to compare that way, so their summer is June, July and August. NOAA explains the difference and why forecasters use calendar months.
Which start date to use
- June 1 for weather records, climate reports and seasonal averages.
- The solstice for the longest day, sunrise and sunset planning, and solstice festivals.
- Your school or local calendar for summer holidays, which follow neither definition.
- December dates if you live south of the equator.
Summer south of the equator
Seasons are reversed in the Southern Hemisphere. The same June solstice gives Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires their shortest day, and their summer starts at the December solstice instead. If you are counting down to a trip, the days between dates calculator page gives the exact number of days to any date you pick.
Summer countdown questions
When is the first day of summer?
Astronomers put it at the June solstice, which falls on June 20 or 21 in UTC. Weather services use June 1 instead, the start of meteorological summer.
Why does the solstice date move from year to year?
A calendar year has a whole number of days, while Earth's orbit takes about a quarter day longer. The solstice drifts later by roughly six hours each year, and each leap day pulls it back.
Is the June solstice the hottest day of the year?
Usually not. It brings the most daylight, but land and sea keep warming for weeks afterward, so the warmest stretch tends to come in July or August.
When does summer start in Australia or South America?
In the Southern Hemisphere summer begins at the December solstice, or on December 1 by the meteorological count. The June solstice marks the start of winter there.