Summer solstice explained in simple terms in The Fun Times Guide to Weather.

“We usually think of summer as that time between Memorial Day at the end of May and Labor Day in the beginning of September. Officially, that’s not really the case though.

Meteorological summer runs from June 1st through August 31st — typically the hottest 3-month period of the year. Traditionally, however, we use the astronomical definition of our seasons.

So here’s more about “the first day of summer”… and for that matter, “the first day of winter”. We’ll try to make sense of what’s going on during summer solstice and winter solstice.

The picture (above) represents the first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere as the sun’s rays are shining straight down on 23.5 degrees North latitude (The Tropic of Cancer).

Notice the North Pole is tilted toward the sun. This is typically the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. …

Where’s The North Pole?
Keep in mind, the Earth isn’t wobbling dramatically such that the North Pole is pointing in opposite directions at different times of the year. While the Earth does wobble a little bit, the North Pole is always pointed in the same direction toward the North Star. Think of it this way: It’s always tilted toward the right.

When it’s on the right side of the sun, the North Pole is pointing away from the sun.

When it’s on the left side of the sun, the North Pole is pointed toward the sun.”

More in  The Fun Times Guide to Weather.