4 days ago
When is the first day of summer? When's the summer solstice? How much daylight will Ohio see?
Have you pulled out your lawn chairs, open-toed sandals, and sun hats yet?
Summer is on its way. That means hotter temperatures, family vacations, and maybe a trip to Cedar Point or Kings Island.
When is the first day of summer 2025? When is the summer solstice? Here's what to know.
The first day of summer can vary, depending on the context.
Climate scientists often identify June 1 as the first day of the meteorological summer. But if you're looking at the astronomical calendar, summer starts a few weeks later. The astronomical season begins with the summer solstice on June 20, 2025, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.
In Ohio and the rest of the Eastern time zone, the summer solstice will happen at 10:42 p.m. ET, according to The site states that daylight in temperate and mid-northern latitudes, such as Ohio, could last 15 hours that day.
The summer solstice marks the beginning of the summer astronomical season.
June 20 will be the day of the year when we will enjoy the longest hours of daylight in the northern hemisphere. After this day, the daylight hours will begin to shorten as summer progresses.
According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, astronomical seasons are defined by the Earth's orbiting position in relation to the sun, Meteorological seasons are dictated by the Earth's temperatures, per USA Today.
The Earth's tilt and "the sun's alignment over the equator" shape the equinoxes and solstices. The Earth is tilted approximately 23.5 degrees on its axis. Because of this tilt, there are times when part of our planet leans toward the sun, and other times when another part of the planet faces away, according to NCEI.
The Earth's elliptical orbit brings our planet closer or farther to the sun, depending on where the planet is in its 365.24-day cycle. These factors determine when the astronomical seasons fall, and each season varies in length from 89 to 93 days. And because of these variations in length, meteorological seasons were created.
So basically, meteorological summer begins on June 1, and astronomical summer 2025 starts with the summer solstice on June 20.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: When is the first day of summer 2025? How much daylight will Ohio see?
