Overview

• The summer solstice began at 10:42 p.m. EDT on June 20, marking the Northern Hemisphere’s longest day and the start of astronomical summer.
• About 25,000 early risers gathered on June 21 to watch the sun rise behind Stonehenge’s Heel Stone, a phenomenon observed there for millennia.
• The Met Office recorded pre-dawn temperatures above 18 °C in Salisbury and London, with overnight highs of 19.7 °C in Yeovilton and Crosby.
• England remained under its first amber heat-health alert since September 2023, issued by the UK Health Security Agency to advise caution through Monday morning.
• Global solstice celebrations ranged from all-day yoga in New York’s Times Square to the Midnight Sun Game in Fairbanks, Alaska, reflecting diverse cultural traditions.