Although Brits can't always depend on great weather, there's always hope, and with summer just around the corner, we should all start crossing our fingers and toes now.

The summertime - or the few rays of sunshine we might get - brings promises of holidays, ice creams, Pimms, picnics and barbecues.

Here's everything you need to know about when summer officially starts.

There are two different ways to decide this, and it depends on which calendar you follow - the astronomical summer or the meteorological summer.

Meteorologists believe in keeping the exact same three-month pattern each year, whereas the astronomical season is based on the position of the Earth in relation to the sun - and is therefore subject to change.

According to the meteorological summer, the season will start on June 1 and will come to an end on August 31.

Meanwhile, the astronomical summer starts Thursday 21 June - on a day which is known as the summer solstice - and will come to an end on September 23.

The summer solstice is the longest day of the year and marks the start of the season, according to astronomers.

It also goes by another name, midsummer.

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But why is it called "midsummer"? Surely it should be "startsummer", right?

Well, actually, it IS astronomically midsummer, the day with the longest period of daylight.

This period of longer daytime hours starts in the spring and ends in the autumn, and the longest day comes slap bang in the middle of those equinoxes.

But the weather gets hotter for a few months afterward, so meteorologically speaking it is the beginning of summer.

Historically this day was also the midpoint of the growing season, halfway between planting and harvest.

The Summer Solstice, as stated, is the longest day - after which they begin to shorten, until the Winter Solstice is reached - the shortest day.

It happens when the tilt of the Earth's axis is most aligned with the sun, providing us with more daylight.

After June 21, the days will become shorter and the nights will become longer.

The winter solstice will be on December 21, and will mark the start of colder weather and shorter nights.


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