GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Welcome to summer! The season officially starts at 4:51 p.m. across the Northern Hemisphere. Here in West Michigan, hot and humid weather continues, ringing in the new season.
Summer Solstice
The summer solstice occurs when Earth's Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun at its most extreme angle. On the contrary, Thursday also marks the winter solstice across the Southern Hemisphere.
- Sun's Position: On the summer solstice, the Sun reaches its highest point in the sky at noon, directly over the Tropic of Cancer (23.5°N latitude).
- Day Length: This is the day with the most daylight hours. For Grand Rapids, there are approximately 15 hours and 21 minutes of daylight.
- Earth's Axis: The Earth's axis is tilted about 23.5 degrees relative to its orbit around the Sun. During the summer solstice, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, receiving the most direct sunlight.
The amount of daylight will start to decrease after Thursday, but it descends at a slow rate over the next several weeks. Between now and the end of July, West Michigan will only lose approximately 50 minutes of daylight (sunset will still remain after 9 p.m.) It's in August when the loss of daylight becomes noticeable, both in the morning and evening.
Remaining Hot & Humid
Very warm and humid conditions remain locked in place Thursday, with high temperatures expected to reach the upper 80s across many locations. There'll be no relief from the humidity as a very muggy air mass continues.
It'll continue to be hot and humid Friday and Saturday before some relief arrives by the end of the weekend. In the meantime, high temperatures will settle near 90° on Friday, and climb into the lower 90s on Saturday. Factoring in the humidity, heat index values will range from the middle 90s to 100° both days.
Widespread thunderstorms, via a cold front, overnight Saturday into early Sunday will bring in relief from the heat and humidity. Temperatures will only reach the lower to middle 80s on Sunday, which is closer to average this time of year.
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