It also signals the coldest stretch of weather for us in the United States. It is the time when the sun is at its lowest point in the northern hemisphere’s sky, and it marks the day with the least amount of daylight in the year. It marks the point when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. It happens each year sometime between December 20 and December 23. Beginning of winter: The winter solstice marks the start of winter.The autumnal equinox is the point at which the sun is directly over the equator, like at the beginning of spring, but in this case the sun is progressively getting lower in the northern hemisphere sky and colder temperatures are on the way. Beginning of fall: Fall begins either on September 22 or September 23, depending on when the autumnal equinox happens in a particular year.This year, the summer solstice is on June 21 at 5:13 a.m.

It marks the highest position of the sun overhead for those of us in the United States, and it also marks the day with the greatest amount of daylight. This is when the sun is positioned directly over the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere. Beginning of summer: The summer solstice, anywhere from June 20 to June 22 each year.In the same vein, summer, fall and winter begin at very specific points along the earth’s orbit:

First day of spring