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The longest day of the year is here! What does that mean?

The longest day of the year is here with 14 hours, 6 minutes of daylight in Jacksonville on Tuesday, June 21.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — No matter which way you look at things - meteorologically or astronomically - it will officially be summer on Tuesday, June 21 at 5:14 a.m.

That is the moment in time where the Sun's rays will move directly over the Tropic of Cancer marking the Summer Solstice.

This is also noted by the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. In Jacksonville, there will be 14 hours, 6 minutes, and a few extra seconds of daylight. The days will gradually shorten from here on out as the Sun's rays head back south toward the Equator.

The Summer Solstice is the beginning of astronomical summer. Astronomical seasons are marked by the solstices and equinoxes.

Meteorologically, summer began on June 1. Meteorological seasons are grouped into four sets of three months each. This way, meteorologists can keep track of climate data without any skew in dates. Solstices and equinoxes can vary by a day or two year to year.

If you're wondering, summer begins June 1. Fall begins September 1. Winter begins December 1. Spring begins March 1. Easy as that!

No matter what, the temperatures and packed beaches say it has been summer for weeks now.

Wondering if the temperatures peak on the longest day of the year? Not even close. Although we've felt some intense heat and humidity across the First Coast in recent weeks, our daily maximum temperatures do not peak until July 16 at 92.1 degrees on average in Jacksonville.

Summer is here to stay - for at least a few more months!

Wondering when things will cool down? If you don't know already, we kinda live in an endless summer here. Mark your calendars for November for any significant cool downs.

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