Summer 2020

When is Summer 2020?

What is Summer?

Summer is one of the four seasons that make up the year. It is the warmest time of the year and falls between spring and autumn (fall), the intervening periods that lead from and to winter, the coldest time of the year.

Astronomical summer vs. meteorological summer

There are various ways to define the start and end dates of summer. The two most commonly used ones are based on the astronomical calendar and the meteorological calendar. Astronomical and meteorological summer start and end on different dates.

Astronomical summer

In the astronomical calendar the start and end dates of summer are based on the changing position of Earth in relation to the sun and the resulting solar events of equinoxes and solstices. In the Northern Hemisphere spring ends and summer starts at the moment of the June solstice, which occurs every year between June 20 and June 22. Summer ends and autumn starts at the moment of the September equinox, which occurs every year on September 21 to 23. In the Southern Hemisphere summer lasts from the December solstice (December 20 to 23) to the March equinox (March 19 to 21).

The start and end dates for summer given on this page are the dates of astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere and are based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which for practical purposes is equivalent to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). While summer starts and ends at the same moment in time all over the Northern Hemisphere, the date and local time differ from place to place depending on the year and a location's time zone. For locations that are ahead of UTC (further east) it may fall on the day after, and for locations that are behind UTC (further west) it may fall on the day before. To find out the exact date and time of summer 2020 in your area use this seasons calculator.

Meteorological summer

Meteorologists, on the other hand, define seasons based on climatic conditions and the annual temperature cycle. It is important for them to be able to compare the same period of time in different years. The length of the astronomical seasons varies between 89 and 93 days, while the length of the meteorological seasons is less variable and is fixed at 90 days for winter in a non-leap year (91 days in a leap year), 92 days for spring and summer, and 91 days for autumn. While the exact definition of a season's timing and length can differ in different areas based on local conditions, in most of the Northern Hemisphere meteorological summer is generally defined as the three months of June, July and August, with the season starting on June 1 and ending on August 31.

There is no "official rule" which definition of summer to use, and different countries adhere to different conventions. Most of North America and Europe use astronomical summer, while Australia and New Zealand use meteorological summer (however, as these countries are in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are opposed and summer there lasts from December to February). In other cultures, eg. in the traditional Chinese calendar and in Celtic traditions, the June solstice is considered to be roughly the middle of summer. In the United States, with regard to cultural events, the summer season is often considered to begin on Memorial Day (last Monday of May) and end on Labor Day (first Monday of September), thus coinciding more with the meteorological definition of summer.

Comparison table: astronomical summer vs. meteorological summer

Dates shown apply to the Northern Hemisphere

Season	Start		End
	Meteorological	Astronomical	Meteorological	Astronomical
Spring	March 1	spring equinox March 19 to 21	May 31	summer solstice June 20 to 22
Summer	June 1	summer solstice June 20 to 22	August 31	autumnal equinox September 21 to 23
Autumn	September 1	autumnal equinox September 21 to 23	November 30	winter solstice December 20 to 23
Winter	December 1	winter solstice December 20 to 23	February 28 (29)	spring equinox March 19 to 21

For more information see Summer on Wikipedia.

When is Summer 2021?

Dates for Summer from 2015 to 2025

The next occurrence of Summer is marked in red.

Year	Summer starts on	Summer ends on
Summer 2015	Sunday, June 21, 2015	Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Summer 2016	Monday, June 20, 2016	Thursday, September 22, 2016
Summer 2017	Wednesday, June 21, 2017	Friday, September 22, 2017
Summer 2018	Thursday, June 21, 2018	Sunday, September 23, 2018
Summer 2019	Friday, June 21, 2019	Monday, September 23, 2019
Summer 2020	Saturday, June 20, 2020	Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Summer 2021	Monday, June 21, 2021	Wednesday, September 22, 2021
Summer 2022	Tuesday, June 21, 2022	Friday, September 23, 2022
Summer 2023	Wednesday, June 21, 2023	Saturday, September 23, 2023
Summer 2024	Thursday, June 20, 2024	Sunday, September 22, 2024
Summer 2025	Saturday, June 21, 2025	Monday, September 22, 2025
Data provided 'as is' without warranty

Dates of Summer 2020 and surrounding years as downloadable image file

Calendar templates 2020 for Word, Excel & PDF

2020 calendar as templates for Word, Excel & PDF A selection of calendar templates for 2020 in landscape and portrait orientation and with US federal holidays, suitable for a variety of applications. 2020 calendar templates for Word 2020 calendar templates for Excel 2020 calendar templates for PDF

Christian (and related) Advent Advent Sunday All Saints' Day All Souls' Day Ascension Day Ash Wednesday Black Saturday Boxing Day Bright Saturday Bright Week Candlemas Christmas Christmas Day Christmas Eve Christmastide Corpus Christi Easter Easter Day Easter Eve Easter Friday Easter Monday Easter Saturday Easter Sunday Eastertide Easter Week Easter Weekend Epiphany Epiphany Eve Fat Tuesday First day of Lent Good Friday Halloween Holy Friday Holy Saturday Holy Thursday Holy Week Jesus' Birthday Lazarus Saturday Lent Mardi Gras Maundy Thursday Orthodox Easter Palm Sunday Pancake Day Pancake Tuesday Pascha Pentecost Pentecost Sunday Pentecost Monday Shrove Monday Shrove Tuesday St. Andrew's Day St. David's Day St. George's Day St. Patrick's Day St. Stephen's Day Theophany Three Kings Day Trinity Sunday Twelve Days of Christmas Twelfth Night Whit Sunday Whit Monday

US federal holidays New Year's Day Martin Luther King Day (MLK Day) Presidents' Day     (Washington's Birthday) Memorial Day Independence Day Labor Day Columbus Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day Australian holidays ANZAC Day The seasons Spring Vernal equinox (spring equinox, March equinox) Summer Summer solstice (June solstice) Autumn / Fall Autumnal equinox (fall equinox, September equinox) Winter Winter solstice (December solstice)

Other days April Fools Day Armed Forces Day Cinco de Mayo Constitution Day Daylight Saving Time Day of the Dead Día de los Muertos Earth Day Father's Day Flag Day Halloween Indigenous Peoples' Day International Women's Day Mother's Day Native American Day New Year's Day New Year's Eve Star Wars Day Samhain Summer time Teacher Appreciation Day Teacher Appreciation Week Valentine's Day World Environment Day World Teachers' Day

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