Days getting shorter, but didn’t summer just begin?

If July 12 is the unofficial start to summer in Seattle, we’ve only just begun. So why does it feel like it’s almost over?

Of course, the summer officially began in the early hours of June 21. But Ted Buehner, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, wrote on June 18:

“For much of western Washington, climatology (history of weather) shows summer usually begins in Seattle around July 12. Some years are earlier, others later, but generally the season appears to change on the 12th.”

We were unofficially into summer for a month on Tuesday, which means kids in Seattle won’t even get two months to enjoy the sunshine before school starts on Sept. 3.

Buehner explained we all feel like we’re nearing the end because we’re losing daylight – about three or four minutes every day. A month ago, sunset was after 9 p.m. On Tuesday, the day ended at 8:26 p.m.

Officially, the last day of summer is well into September – the autumnal equinox falls on the 22nd. That’s 2 1/2 weeks into the Seattle school year.

Cooling temperatures, especially at night, are also evidence that football and corn mazes are nigh.

Buehner said the average high temperature for Seattle in early September is 74 degrees and the average low is 55. By the end of the month, the averages are 66 and 49 – much cooler as a result of the shorter days.

So enjoy summer, or what’s left of it.

NWS meteorologist Ted Buehner contributed to this story.