By WeatherBug Meteorologists
Most people consider the first day of summer to be the summer solstice, which rang in at 11:32 p.m. EDT on June 20 this year. This is because, astronomically, the sun was directly overhead of the Tropic of Cancer at that time. As the Earth rotates around the Sun, at different times of the year the Sun will be situated directly overhead at midday. The day the sun is straight up at noon over the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn (23.5 degrees N and S latitude) are the summer and winter solstices, respectively. The Autumnal (Fall) Equinox is the day the Sun is again highest in the sky at noon over the equator as the apex progresses south. Many refer to astronomical summer on June 20th or 21st, as the first "official" day of summer. Most meteorologists will argue that summer has been well under way by then and they have been enjoying at least three weeks -- if not longer -- of "summer" already. Meteorologists observe seasons over different time periods. Meteorological summer begins on June 1, fall begins September 1 and winter begins December 1. There are a couple of very important reasons why this is the case. The most important is for climate record-keeping. Climatologists require set time periods to calculate averages and do seasonal comparisons over the years. Astronomical dates will fall on different days depending on the year and keeping seasonal climate records based on those dates would be confusing and inaccurate. A second reason is that weather-wise, it makes more sense around the globe. For example, much of the northern hemisphere is entrenched in summer weather by June 1 and winter weather on December 1. In fall, the heat of the summer is waning by September 1 and by March 1, spring, mild surges of air from the south are becoming a regular occurrence and the seasonal severe weather threats grows.
Image: A field of sunflowers near Vineuil in the Loire Valley, France (Wikimedia)
Summer might not officially begin until June 21 with the summer solstice, but meteorologists and climatologists actually consider June 1 the beginning of summer.
This is because the astronomical seasons are based on the Earth’s position relative to the sun, while "climatological" or "meteorological" seasons are divided into three-month periods based on the temperatures that would be expected during each season.
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For example, summer is the hottest time of the year and winter is the coldest time of the year, with fall and spring being the transition seasons. So instead of focusing on the Earth’s orientation to the sun, these so-called climatological seasons are solely classified by the annual temperature cycle across the world.
The hottest three months of the year in the Northern Hemisphere are June, July and August, so climatological summer runs from June 1 to Aug. 31. The tweet below from Alaska-based climatologist Brian Brettschneider, Ph.D., shows this definition of summer fits better than the astronomical definition for most areas in the U.S. and Canada.
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Conversely, December, January and February are the Northern Hemisphere’s coldest three months, so climatological winter runs from Dec. 1 to Feb. 28 (or Feb. 29). Brettschneider’s tweet below once again shows this definition of winter fits better than the astronomical definition for the majority of the U.S. and Canada.
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The transition seasons are the three months in between summer and winter, so climatological fall is Sept. 1 to Nov. 30 and climatological spring is March 1 to May 31.
Splitting the seasons into these nearly equal three-month periods makes seasonal recordkeeping much easier since the start and end dates of the seasons are always the same. Additionally, each climatological season is always 90 to 92 days, depending on whether it's a leap year or not.
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The dates of the solstices and equinoxes can vary by a day or two each year, so an apples-to-apples comparison of seasonal temperatures or precipitation would become a nightmare for our friends at the National Weather Service if they didn't use climatological seasons.
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Astronomical summer officially begins June 21 with the summer solstice at 5:14 a.m. Eastern time. That's simply the precise moment in time when the sun will be in direct alignment with the Tropic of Cancer (23.5 degrees north latitude). Therefore, the Northern Hemisphere will experience its greatest amount of possible daylight on that date.
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Since the Earth is tilted approximately 23.5 degrees off a vertical axis, the most direct sunlight is aimed at the Northern Hemisphere during our astronomical summer. The summer solstice is always the longest day of the year, but thereafter, the days gradually turn shorter until the winter solstice on Dec. 21 – the shortest day of the year – because the most direct sunlight shifts into the Southern Hemisphere during our astronomical winter.
Summer 2022 started on Tuesday, June 21, 2022 (32 days ago) and ends on Friday, September 23rd 2022 (in 62 days). Calendar for 2022
Please note: The dates given on this page are based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which for practical purposes is equivalent to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). While Summer starts and ends at the same moment in time all over the Northern Hemisphere, the date and local time differ from location to location depending on a location's time zone. For more details see the explanations below.
The start and end dates for summer given on this page are the dates of astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere and are based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which for practical purposes is equivalent to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT - the time zone of the United Kingdom). While summer starts and ends at the same moment in time all over the Northern Hemisphere, the date and local time differ from place to place depending on the year and a location's time zone. For locations that are ahead of UTC (further east) it may fall on the day after, and for locations that are behind UTC (further west) it may fall on the day before. To find out the exact date and time of summer 2022 in your area use this seasons calculator.
Meteorologists, on the other hand, define seasons based on climatic conditions and the annual temperature cycle. It is important for them to be able to compare the same period of time in different years. The length of the astronomical seasons varies between 89 and 93 days, while the length of the meteorological seasons is less variable and is fixed at 90 days for winter in a non-leap year (91 days in a leap year), 92 days for spring and summer, and 91 days for autumn. While the exact definition of a season's timing and length can differ in different areas based on local conditions, in most of the Northern Hemisphere meteorological summer is generally defined as the three months of June, July and August, with the season starting on June 1 and ending on August 31.There is no "official rule" which definition of summer to use, and different countries adhere to different conventions. Most of North America and Europe use astronomical summer, while Australia and New Zealand use meteorological summer (however, as these countries are in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are opposed and summer there lasts from December to February). In other cultures, eg. in the traditional Chinese calendar and in Celtic traditions, the June solstice is considered to be roughly the middle of summer. In the United States, with regard to cultural events, the summer season is often considered to begin on Memorial Day (last Monday of May) and end on Labor Day (first Monday of September), thus coinciding more with the meteorological definition of summer.
Further reading:- Summer on Wikipedia
- Seasons in general on Wikipedia
Dates shown apply to the Northern Hemisphere and are based on UTC (GMT)
Summer 2023 starts on Wednesday, June 21, 2023 (in 333 days) and ends on Saturday, September 23rd 2023 (in 427 days). Calendar for 2023
The next occurrence of Summer is marked in red.
| Year | Summer starts on | Summer ends on |
| Summer 2017 | Wednesday, June 21, 2017 | Friday, September 22, 2017 |
| Summer 2018 | Thursday, June 21, 2018 | Sunday, September 23, 2018 |
| Summer 2019 | Friday, June 21, 2019 | Monday, September 23, 2019 |
| Summer 2020 | Saturday, June 20, 2020 | Tuesday, September 22, 2020 |
| Summer 2021 | Monday, June 21, 2021 | Wednesday, September 22, 2021 |
| Summer 2022 | Tuesday, June 21, 2022 | Friday, September 23, 2022 |
| Summer 2023 | Wednesday, June 21, 2023 | Saturday, September 23, 2023 |
| Summer 2024 | Thursday, June 20, 2024 | Sunday, September 22, 2024 |
| Summer 2025 | Saturday, June 21, 2025 | Monday, September 22, 2025 |
| Summer 2026 | Sunday, June 21, 2026 | Wednesday, September 23, 2026 |
| Summer 2027 | Monday, June 21, 2027 | Thursday, September 23, 2027 |
Data provided 'as is' without warranty |
Dates of Summer 2022 and surrounding years as downloadable image file
Download free printable calendar templates 2022 for Word, Excel and PDF
A selection of calendar templates for 2022 in landscape and portrait orientation and with US federal holidays, suitable for a variety of applications.
2022 calendar templates for Word
2022 calendar templates for Excel
2022 calendar templates for PDF