IT might be hard to believe if you were caught in the downpour this morning but today is officially the first day of summer.

Wet weather has plagued most of the county during the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, but if the clouds break tonight stargazers should be in for a rare treat. 

A Strawberry Moon has not coincided with the Summer Solstice for almost 50 years.

Simon Partridge, forecaster at the Met Office, said: "It's a very wet start but it's not unusual to get a weather front coming across the UK at this time of year.

"It will brighten up through this afternoon and this evening, which should give us a few clear spells which should give a chance to do some moon-gazing."

But for anyone hoping the Strawberry Moon will mean it turning red and growing a green stalk, you will be disappointed. 

The label instead comes from the Algonquin tribes of North America who believed June’s full moon signalled the beginning of the strawberry picking season.

Experts say following 17 hours of daylight today, there should be a bright moonlit sky and the Moon will 'glow a warm amber' shade. 

Other names for the phenomenon in the Northern Hemisphere include Rose Moon, the Hot Moon, and the Honey Moon, while in the Southern Hemisphere it is known as the Long Night Moon.

Around 25,000 people are expected to gather at Stonehenge in Wiltshire to celebrate the solstice.

The day is considered to be sacred by many pagans around the world.