WEST MICHIGAN — Even though this weekend’s temperatures have felt like summer is already here, it’s not here just yet… technically.
The “Summer Solstice” as it is scientifically known, occurs when the earth is directly tilted toward the sun on its 23.5 degree axis. In other words, this is when the Northern Hemisphere receives the most direct sunlight.
That moment for us, occurs at 6:34 Monday evening. Why isn’t this the hottest day, you might ask? As we receive this more direct sunlight over the next month or two, we’ll experience our typically hottest months of June and July. This occurs due to the “lag of the seasons.”
It’s the same reason the coldest day of the year isn’t always on the say of the winter solstice in December when our shortest sun angle occurs. It takes a little bit of time for that extra solar energy to make a difference on earth’s surface.
