Summer Solstice: Low 80s Predicted for First Day of Summer

It appears we will have some honest-to-goodness summertime weather for this year’s Summer Solstice.

Friday marks the first official day of summer.

The National Weather Service’s forecast for that day is calling highs in the low 80s, increased humidity and a 40-percent chance of showers and thunderstorms.

This year’s Summer Solstice, which marks the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, will happen shortly after midnight on Friday—12:04 a.m.—for us here in the Central Time Zone, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac website. That means that summer will begin on Thursday night for folks living in the Mountain (11:04 p.m. Thursday) and Pacific (10:04 p.m. Thursday) time zones.

“The timing of the solstice depends on when the Sun reaches its farthest point north of the equator,” says the almanac website.

Here are more Summer Solstice facts from the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

• The word solstice is from the Latin solstitium, from sol (sun) and stitium (to stop), reflecting the fact that the Sun appears to stop at this time (and again at the winter solstice).

• In temperate regions, we notice that the Sun is higher in the sky throughout the day, and its rays strike Earth at a more direct angle, causing the efficient warming we call summer.

• This summer solstice is the day with the most hours of sunlight during the whole year.

Here is the weather service's forecast for the final few days of spring and first day of summer:

TUESDAY: Mostly sunny, with a high near 74. East wind 5 to 10 mph.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear, with a low around 57. East southeast wind around 5 mph.

WEDNESDAY: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

THURSDAY: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 81. South southeast wind 10 to 15 mph. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

THURSDAY NIGHT: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. South southeast wind around 10 mph. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

FRIDAY: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 83. South southeast wind around 10 mph.

FRIDAY NIGHT: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.