First day of summer in NJ by the numbers

​          "...it was on the first day of summer
           we were the number one outfront runner
           on the first day of summer
           nothing feels the same
           and it feels so good..."
 
                                                - Tony Carey

Exactly when will it turn summer in New Jersey? The first day of summer is Friday, June 21. But when exactly?

If you want to dream of days at the Jersey shore and barefoot girls sitting on the hood of a Dodge drinking warm beer in the soft summer rain, we have you. It happens at exactly 11:54 am on Friday, June 21. It is at that exact moment the planet's axial tilt is the most inclined towards the sun in a given year for the northern hemisphere. This isn't like the New Year hitting one time zone at a time. This is all of us all at once, and it is precisely at 11:54 am.

It will also be the longest day of the year, June 21 coming in at 15 hours 2 minutes and 19 seconds of sunlight for Trenton, NJ.

The sunrise will be at 5:29 am.

The sunset will be at 8:31 pm.

Where exactly you are in New Jersey throws this off a hair or two. The southern hemisphere is flipped of course, June 21 being their shortest day and longest night of the year.

Now whether 11:54 am Friday actually feels like summer is another matter. You can take that up with NJ101.5 chief meteorologist Dan Zarrow.