DateAlmanac

How many days until summer?

272 days

Summer begins at the June solstice, Monday, June 21, 2027 at 10:06 AM Eastern Time. Counted from today, Tuesday, September 22, 2026.

Begins
Monday
Ends
Wednesday, September 22
Season length
94 days
Meteorological start
June 1

Astronomical — the solstices and equinoxes

Monday, June 21, 2027

Tied to the Earth's tilt, so the date shifts a day or two each year. This is the definition almanacs and calendars use.

Meteorological — whole calendar months

Tuesday, June 1, 2027252 days away

Fixed every year, so climate records can be compared like for like. This is the definition weather services use, and it is 20 days earlier.

Why the seasons are not equal

Tropic of Cancer23.4° NEquatorTropic of Capricorn23.4° SMarch 20June 21September 23December 21JFMAMJJASOND
Where the sun stands overhead through 2027. It reaches the Tropic of Cancer at the June solstice, Monday, June 21, 2027, and the Tropic of Capricorn at the December solstice, Tuesday, December 21, 2027. The two crossings of the equator are the equinoxes. The shaded half is the northern summer — the swing between the tropics is the Earth’s axial tilt of 23.4°, and it is the whole reason seasons exist.

The four seasons from here

SeasonBeginsLengthDays away
FallSeptember 22, 202690 days0
WinterDecember 21, 202689 days90
SpringMarch 20, 202793 days179
SummerJune 21, 202794 days272

About summer

Astronomical summer runs from Monday, June 21, 2027 to Wednesday, September 22, 2027, which is 94 days. The seasons are not equal lengths: the Earth’s orbit is an ellipse and it moves slowest near aphelion in early July, so it spends several days longer covering the half of its orbit between the March and September equinoxes. Northern spring and summer are the long ones.

Meteorological summer starts on June 1 and always covers three whole months. Weather services use it because a season of fixed length can be compared year to year; almanacs and calendars use the astronomical one. Neither is wrong — they answer different questions, which is why “the first day of summer” has two defensible answers.

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