Summer Solstice is Today: It’s the Official Start of Summer

Today marks the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the Earth is tilted the most toward the sun. It's also the shortest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere.

The summer solstice is today, officially marking the first day of astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere.

The exact moment of the solstice was 4:13 a.m. That marked the moment when the Earth’s tilt toward the sun was at a maximum, according to the National Weather Service.

The summer solstice occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer, which is located at 23.5 degrees latitude North and runs through Mexico, the Bahamas, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, India, and southern China. For every place north of the Tropic of Cancer, the sun is at its highest point in the sky, and this is the longest day of the year, according to the weather service.

Here’s a look at the amount of daylight for Alabama cities today (in hours, minutes and seconds):

Huntsville: 14:29:15

Birmingham: 14:22:40

Mobile: 14:08:06

Tuscaloosa: 14:21:00

Auburn: 14:17:51

After today the amount of daylight will decrease in varying increments through the fall and into the winter months.

The next seasonal milestone will be the fall equinox, which will be on Sept. 22. The winter solstice, or “shortest day of the year,” will be on Dec. 21.

(AL.com)