Summer has officially started. Here’s when California will start losing daylight

The official start of summer has arrived in California.

Parts of the state have already experienced triple-digit heat and wildfires.

Thursday is the summer solstice, an astronomical event that marks the beginning of the summer season.

What is the summer solstice?

The summer solstice occurs when the sun travels north in its path in the sky, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

At this time, Earth reaches a point in its orbit where the North Pole is at its highest tilt toward the sun.

When this happens, it’s summer for the Northern Hemisphere, while in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the start of winter.

The almanac states that the summer solstice starts at 1:51 p.m. on Thursday.

When will the sun set on June 20?

During the summer solstice, states including California will enjoy the most daylight and shortest night of the year.

According to the almanac, sunrise in Sacramento will be at 5:40 a.m. and sunset will be at 8:35 p.m.

Do days get shorter after official start of summer?

After the summer solstice, the days will get progressively shorter.

According to Time and Date, the days will slowly get shorter during the summer at daily intervals into the fall season.

By the fall equinox, the first official day of fall, on Sept. 22, the sun is expected to rise at 6:54 a.m. Sunset on this day is expected to occur at 7:01 p.m.

On the fall equinox, the Golden State will have only about 13 hours and 22 minutes of daylight.

On the winter solstice, Dec. 21, California will see 9 hours and 28 minutes of daylight.

This story was originally published June 18, 2024 at 5:00 AM.