When Does Summer Start Southern Hemisphere May 2026

Her abuela would smile and point to the calendar. “December 21st or 22nd, mija. That’s the summer solstice—the longest day, when the sun stands still before the long, warm season begins.”

In a small town nestled in the Andes of southern Chile, a curious twelve-year-old named Catalina asked her abuela the same question every December: “When does summer truly start, Abuela?” when does summer start southern hemisphere

Then, on January 3rd, it happened: a morning so warm that the dew evaporated by 8 a.m., the scent of ripe peaches drifting from the orchard, and the first real desire to jump into the cold river. That evening, she told her abuela, “Summer started today.” Her abuela would smile and point to the calendar