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Weather wonders- June 21 summer solsticeKansas June 21 marks this year's summer solstice, according to State of Kansas Climatologist Mary Knapp. The summer solstice is the point in the Earth's orbit at which the planet's axis of rotation is most directly pointed toward the sun. This produces the season when the Northern Hemisphere enjoys the most hours of daylight. "In Manhattan, Kan.," said Knapp, who administers the Kansas Weather Data Library at Kansas State University, "the summer solstice means we are just four minutes short of 15 hours of daylight. As you get closer to the Arctic Circle, of course, the days of summer get longer." In the northern-most latitudes, the solstice marks the middle of the "White Nights," when twilight conditions persist and darkness is never complete from June 10 through July 2. "Imagine having enough light to play ball at midnight," Knapp said. "The downside is they also have a winter solstice in December. The sun barely peaks above the horizon, and they only see a couple of hours of daylight." Knapp's Weather Wonders audio reports are available on K-State Research and Extension's Kansas Radio Network website at www.oznet.ksu.edu/radio/wxwonders.htm. More information about Kansas' climate and weather is available on the Kansas Weather Data Library website: www.oznet.ksu.edu/wdl/. Date: 6/25/07
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