Stonehenge summer solstice draws thousands on UK’s hottest day of year


Thousands of people went to Stonehenge to see the summer solstice sunrise, which marks the longest day of the year.

It also turned out to be the hottest day of the year so far, as temperatures reached 33.2C in Charlwood, Surrey on Saturday afternoon which was higher than the 32.2C recorded in eastern England on Thursday, June 19.

The Met Office said that many places in England and a few in Wales including Cardiff were officially in a heatwave from Friday, June 20.

Meanwhile, an amber heat-health warning has been given for all parts of England for the weekend because of the hot weather.

Why is the summer solstice at Stonehenge so famous?

At Stonehenge, the solstice events are special times when people are allowed to go near the famous stone which were built to match the sun's position on solstice days.

Also, people are thought to have celebrated solstices at Stonehenge for thousand of years.

During the summer solstice, the sun rises behind the Heel Stone, old entrance to the Stone Circle at Stonehenge and sunlight shines directly into the middle of the monument.

This happens when one of the Earth's poles is tilted most towards the sun and the sun reaches its highest point in the sky, creating the longest day of the year and marking the end of spring.

On the other hand, a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms has been given for northern England which will be active from Saturday until 4 am on Sunday.

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