Seattle’s summer solstice cooldown: Expect low 60s and rain to kick-off summer

The summer solstice is this Friday at 7:41 p.m., marking the longest day of the year in Seattle, a fraction of a second under 16 hours. The sunrise will be at 5:11 a.m. and sunset at 9:10 p.m.

The summer solstice is also the beginning of astronomical summer, also known as the start of summer. After June 20, days will gradually get shorter heading into the autumn equinox in late September.

June gloom to start Seattle summer

Many schools get out for the summer this Friday. Yet despite the start of the summer season, it will not feel like it, as June gloom will be in full effect.

An upper-level low is forecast to move through the Pacific Northwest Friday through the weekend, bringing showers and unseasonably cool temperatures. Highs will struggle to get past 60 degrees. Recall that less than two weeks ago, temperatures soared into the 80s and even the lower 90s.

Although the region needs the rain. So far this month, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) and Bellingham, there has been no rainfall. Everett’s Paine Field has had only a trace of rain, while Olympia has had just one hundredth of an inch (0.01), and on the usually wetter coast, Hoquiam’s rain gauge remains dry this month, and Forks has had just 0.04 inches of rain.

Sea-Tac is over 5.5 inches of rain behind the average for the year. Olympia had a rain deficit of nearly 9 inches, and Everett is behind more than 10 inches of rain for the year, and Forks is a whopping 19 and a half inches below average.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, all of western Washington has been abnormally dry, and the area from the Cascades west of the I-5 corridor is now in a moderate drought. Yes, the region needs the rain.

The weather outlook for the rest of the month continues the June gloom trend with odds of cold temperatures and elevated rainfall. By July, the outlook warms up and dries out, but likely after the Fourth of July. This short-term cool showery trend will help delay the region’s wildfire season into the start of July.

Washington State Drought Monitor for June. (Photo courtesy of National Drought Mitigation Center)

History of the summer solstice

Through human history, many have observed the summer solstice with celebrations and rituals. For instance, the ancient Greeks marked the solstice as the start of the New Year and created a one-month countdown to the opening of the Olympic Games, true to this day.

Ancient European pagans welcomed the solstice with bonfires, hoping for a good fall harvest. Bonfires were also associated with magic, banishing evil spirits, and often led maidens to future husbands.

Stonehenge in the south of England is aligned with the direction of the summer solstice sunrise–one of many theories about the purpose of the megalith monument, where thousands gather each year to commemorate the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

Many Native Americans participate in solstice rituals, which are still practiced today. For example, the Sioux perform a ceremonial sundance while wearing symbolic colors.

Today, many still celebrate the summer solstice. Parades and festivals are most common. In Northern Europe, bonfires are lit, and homes are decorated with garlands.  In parts of Scandinavia, people dance around Maypoles.

Seattle’s Fremont Solstice Parade

Seattle has one of the most free-spirited summer solstice parades in the country–the Fremont Solstice Parade. The 34th annual parade will be this Saturday, June 21, starting at 1 p.m. More than 60 community-based ensembles are expected in the parade, starting on 3^rd and Leary Way and finishing on North 35^th Avenue, near the Fremont Rocket. In addition to the parade, two music stages with live local bands will be part of the festivities, along with booths selling handmade goods and art, fair food, colorful Seattle Art cars, and more.

Unfortunately, the weather expected for Saturday’s Solstice Parade will not feel summerlike.

On Friday’s summer solstice, celebrate the start of summer despite the cool and much-needed soggy conditions.

Ted Buehner is the KIRO Newsradio meteorologist. You can read more of Ted’s stories here and follow him on X.