June solstice: Summer is here!

After sweltering in 32.7C in Santon Downham, England on June 17th, Tuesday June 21st brings the start of astronomical summer.

Though meteorological summer began on the June 1st, astronomical summer, as marked by the summer solstice, begins on June 21st this year.

The summer solstice falls between June 20th and 22nd each year, when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky, and the Earth’s pole is at its maximum tilt towards the sun in the Northern Hemisphere.

It is also the longest day of the year, delivering the maximum amount of daylight hours. On the summer solstice, the sun will rise in London at 4.43am and will set at 9.21pm, giving around 16 hours and 38 minutes of daylight.

The days following will then see daylight hours reduce, with days beginning to get shorter.

The summer solstice is also known as midsummer and is a ritualistic celebration in many cultures:

As for the weather forecast, we’ll be seeing a bit of a north-south divide, so you may want to pick your location of celebration wisely.

Cloudier with the chance of showers for much of Scotland to start, this sinking southwards into Northern England and North Wales as the day goes on.

Warmer and sunnier to the south though, with highs of 23-25C for parts of central and southern England.

Getting out to celebrate the solstice? Send in your images here for us to share!