South Carolina is in for the longest day of year as summer 2026 starts

• The first astronomical day of summer in 2026 is Sunday, June 21, which is also the summer solstice.
• Meteorologically, summer begins on June 1 and ends on August 31 for easier climate data comparison.
• The summer solstice marks the longest day of the year, when the North Pole is at its maximum tilt toward the sun.
• On June 21, South Carolina will experience over 14 hours of daylight.

It may have felt like summer in South Carolina these past few weeks, but it is just now the first official day of summer.

Days have become longer, and temperatures have pushed toward 100 on some days ahead of the first day of summer. Now the longest day of the year is here, and the hottest months in the South are ahead of us.

On June 21, Greenville and Upstate South Carolina will experience more than 14 hours of daylight, according to Time and Date. From there, days will start being shorter once again.

Here’s how much daylight Upstate South Carolina is expected to see for the summer solstice.

When is the first day of summer 2025?

Well, there are technically two answers.

The first official day of summer astronomically for 2026 is Sunday, June 21, which is when the Northern Hemisphere has the longest day of the year, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

But when we talk meteorologically, summer starts on June 1. The reason for this is that meteorologists divide the year into four seasons based on the months and the temperature cycle. Doing it this way also allows them to compare and organize climate data more easily. In this system, summer begins on June 1 and ends on August 31.

What is the summer solstice?

The summer solstice marks the astronomical first day of the summer season in June in the Northern Hemisphere.

This is also when the Earth arrives at the point in its orbit where the North Pole is at its maximum tilt toward the sun, according to the Almanac. This makes it the longest day with the longest period of sunlight hours and the shortest night of the calendar year.

It will begin at 8:25 UTC or 4:25 a.m. ET on June 21, according to EarthSky.org.

When is the longest day of the year?

The summer solstice is the longest day of the year. On June 21, it will be the day with the longest period of sunlight, with some areas in the Northern Hemisphere getting upwards of 15 hours of sunlight on that day, according to EarthSky.org.

In South Carolina, communities will see around 14 hours and 28 minutes of daylight on the longest day of the year, according to timeanddate.com, which tracks when sunrise and sunset occur in communities across the United States.