Report by Duncan Williams for Pulman's Weekly News
People across the UK are set to enjoy the longest day of the year this weekend as the summer solstice marks the start of astronomical summer, with forecasters predicting warm and largely sunny conditions in many areas.
The solstice falls on Sunday 21st June, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted most directly towards the Sun, bringing the greatest amount of daylight and the shortest night of the year.
This year, the exact moment of the solstice occurs at 9.24am BST. However, for most people it will be experienced simply as a day of extended daylight rather than a single moment in time.
It means more daylight than on any other day of 2026, with the opportunity for long evenings and warm weather making it a highlight of the summer calendar.
Forecasters are expecting generally dry and bright conditions across much of the UK, with temperatures reaching into the high 20s and possibly above 30C in some areas.
The South West is expected to be particularly warm, with hot conditions likely to draw people outdoors to make the most of the sunshine.
The summer solstice occurs because the Earth is tilted on its axis by around 23.4 degrees. As it orbits the Sun, this tilt changes the amount of daylight different parts of the world receive throughout the year.
On the solstice, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted most directly towards the Sun, resulting in the longest period of daylight. At this point, the Sun appears directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer.
The word “solstice” comes from the Latin sol, meaning sun, and sistere, meaning to stand still, a reference to the Sun appearing to pause briefly in its path across the sky before changing direction.
Despite being known as the longest day of the year, the solstice does not bring the earliest sunrise or the latest sunset. These occur on different dates due to the way the Earth’s orbit and rotation interact.
The timing of the solstice can also vary slightly, falling on 20th, 21st or 22nd June depending on the year, as the Earth takes just over 365 days to orbit the Sun.
While meteorological summer begins on 1st June, the solstice remains the traditional marker of midsummer in the astronomical calendar.
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