Summer begins on the Summer Solstice when the Earth is tilted the closest to the Sun
The summer solstice is Thursday, June 20, 2024 at 4:51 PM EDT – 2051 UTC.
It’s the longest day and shortest night in the Northern Hemisphere and the first official day of summer.
According to Weather.gov, the summer solstice occurs at the moment the earth’s tilt toward the sun is at a maximum. Therefore, on the day of the summer solstice, the sun appears at its highest elevation with a noontime position that changes very little for several days before and after the summer solstice.
The summer solstice occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer, which is located at 23.5° latitude North, and runs through Mexico, the Bahamas, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, India, and southern China.
The sun will be directly over the Tropic of Cancer at 4:51 PM EDT on June 20, 2024.
For every place north of the Tropic of Cancer, the sun is at its highest point in the sky and this is the longest day of the year.