There’s a strange phenomenon on the 2026 calendar that brings an extra summer.
WASHINGTON — Summer unofficially begins Monday Memorial Day rings in the season.
Thanks to a quirk in the 2026 calendar, summer may seem longer than usual this year.
Why will summer 2026 be longer than usual?
Although summer doesn’t officially start meteorologically until June 1, many Americans consider Memorial Day the beginning of summer.
Memorial Day is the last Monday in May each year.
In 2026, Memorial Day falls on May 25, which is the earliest holiday date since the month begins on a Friday. The end of summer usually occurs on Labor Day, the end of the season, when fall begins across the United States
This year’s Labor Day won’t come until September 7, which is also the latest day to have a holiday. This peculiar phenomenon makes summer 106 days long, a significant increase from last year’s 99 days.
With a strong El Niño expected to begin, summers will become longer, bringing with them a range of climate impacts.
Across the United States, it looks like this summer will be hotter than usual, with significant heat waves. Even before Memorial Day, scorching temperatures are arriving.
The eastern United States experienced early summer heat last week, sending some schoolchildren home while others remained in sweltering classrooms.
Philadelphia, which has 57 schools switching to remote learning for students, said that while the district has made progress, many of them still have insufficient air conditioning.
Has this happened before?
The last time Memorial Day was celebrated on May 25 was in 2020 and 2015. By comparison, the latest possible date for Memorial Day is May 31.
However, it might be a long time before we see another similar calendar quirk. The next time “Endless Summer” returns will be 11 years later in 2037.
Thereafter, the cycle alternates between five and six years and eleven years.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
