The longest day of the year is here: What is summer solstice?

The first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere is finally here, which means Toronto is getting its longest day of the year.

Summer solstice occurred in Toronto at 10:57 a.m. EST Wednesday, officially ushering in the start of summer for people living north of the equator.

Here's what that means and how many hours of sunlight we'll get.

What is summer solstice?

Summer solstice marks the moment when the sun is farthest north from the equator, while winter solstice means the sun is farthest south.

When the sun is directly over the equator from south to north, it's considered the vernal equinox" and the start of spring. North to south is the autumnal equinox" and the start of fall.

During summer solstice, the earth's tilt toward the sun is at its maximum and the sun reaches its highest midday point in the sky, resulting in more daylight hours and the longest day of the year.

Toronto is expected to get around 15 hours of daylight between around 5:30 a.m. and 9 p.m., according to timeanddate.com.

People who live farther north will experience more daylight hours - like in Iqaluit, Nvt., which is expected to see more than 20 daylight hours on Wednesday and a sunset at 11 p.m.

Summer solstice usually happens on June 21, but not always - next year's solstice is predicted for June 20.

World rings in summer solstice with celebrations

This year's solstice fell on National Indigenous Peoples Day.

In Toronto, Elder Garry Sault from the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation led a Sunrise Ceremony at Nathan Phillips Square to honour the occasion and the start of the summer solstice. Similar ceremonies took place across the country on Wednesday.

Further abroad, solstice celebrations at Stonehenge drew thousands of revellers who made the pilgrimage to the centuries-old monument. It appears that the structure intentionally aligns with the solstices, although how and exactly why it came to be remains unknown.

Ontario's summer 2023 forecast

The start of the solstice has many people looking toward summer and wondering what the season might bring.

According to Environment Canada's 2023 summer weather outlook and the Farmers' Almanac, Canadians can expect a sizzling summer.

Environment Canada released its weather outlook on June 1 and said the month has already brought above-normal temperatures across the northern Prairies, northern Ontario and northern Quebec."

Higher temperatures are expected until at least the end of August" in those regions as well as the rest of Ontario and Quebec, British Columbia and Atlantic Canada, according to the weather agency.

Environment Canada also warned that hot and dry summer conditions and climate change will lead to more damaging weather events," including wildfires.

Toronto's longest day of the year will be sunny

Toronto's first day of summer will be sunny but hazy, according to Environment Canada's weekly forecast.

Wednesday will reach a daytime high of 27 C and 17 C at night.

This week is a mix of sun and cloud with temperatures in the low to high 20s with the exception of Sunday, which could reach up to 30 C.

Showers are expected throughout the week after Wednesday.

Marissa Birnie is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @marissabirnie