A quirk on the 2026 calendar brings extra summer days.
WASHINGTON — Summer got its unofficial start on Monday as Memorial Day rings in the season.
This year, summer may seem longer than usual thanks to a quirk on the 2026 calendar.
Why is summer longer than usual in 2026?
Although meteorologically speaking, summer doesn’t officially start until June 1, many Americans consider Memorial Day the start of the summer season.
Memorial Day falls on the final Monday of May each year.
In 2026, Memorial Day fell on May 25, the earliest possible date for the holiday because the month started on a Friday. The typical end of summer falls on Labor Day, the close of the season, when fall starts to set in across the U.S.
Labor Day won’t arrive until Sept. 7 this year, the latest possible day for the holiday. The quirk allows 106 days of summer, a steep increase from last year’s 99 days.
The longer summer feel comes as a strong El Niño is forecast to begin, bringing a range of climate impacts.
Across the United States, it looks like this summer will be hotter than normal, with significant heat waves. The sweltering temperatures have arrived even before Memorial Day.
Last week, the eastern U.S. sweated through some early-season heat, with some schoolchildren being sent home while others stayed in sweltering classrooms.
Philadelphia shifted to remote learning for students at 57 schools, saying that while the district has made progress, many of them still have inadequate air conditioning.
Has this happened before?
The last time Memorial Day fell on May 25 was in 2020 and 2015. In contrast, the latest possible date for Memorial Day is May 31.
However, it may be a long while before we see another calendar quirk like this. The next time this “endless summer” returns will be 11 years from now in 2037.
After that, the cycle alternates between five and six years and then 11 years.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.