The Eastern Seaboard of the US battled heavy snowstorms this winter. The city of Boston received 275.8cm of snow, the most since records began.

Reuters photographer Brian Snyder braved the blizzards to capture snow ploughs, skiers and snowboarders fighting the drifts. A few months later, as the summer solstice approached, Snyder returned to the same locations in very different conditions.

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The Charles River in Boston on 28 January 2015 and on 10 June 2015
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A cross-country skier makes his way along the Charles River past the Boston skyline on 28 January 2015; and a woman pushes a baby stroller along the Charles River past the Boston skyline on 10 June 2015
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Will Adam, 14, snowboards down a street on Beacon Hill on 27 January 2015; and a woman looks at her mobile phone as she walks down a street on Beacon Hill on 13 June 13 2015
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Crews remove snow around an empty gate at Logan Airport following a blizzard on 28 January 2015; and an American Airlines plane pulls up to a gate at Logan Airport on 13 June 2015
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A snowmobile pulls a man on a snowboard on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, on February 15, 2015; and a woman rides a bicycle on Commonwealth Avenue on June 13, 2015
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A couple walks hand-in-hand through the snow on Exeter Street in the Back Bay during a blizzard on 15 February 2015; and traffic makes its way along Exeter Street on 13 June 2015
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A snow shoveller crosses a street during a winter snowstorm in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on 24 January 2015; and pedestrians cross the same street on 13 June 2015
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A man skis across an intersection in Brookline, Massachusetts, on 9 February 2015; and a pedestrian crosses the same intersection on 12 June 2015
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A pedestrian walks past a snowed-in bus stop in Boston, on 15 February 2015; and a commuter waits at the bus stop on 10 June 2015
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A boat sits in a salt marsh covered in snow and ice near Wingaersheek Beach in Gloucester, Massachusetts, on 20 February 2015; and a boat sits near Wingaersheek Beach, on 11 June 2015

A solstice is an astronomical event that occurs twice a year when the Sun reaches its highest or lowest point in its path as seen from the Earth, as the planet orbits the Sun.

The summer solstice usually marks the midpoint of summer and is the longest day (in terms of sunlight) of the year. The winter solstice has the shortest period of sunlight in the year.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice takes place between June 20 and June 22, but in the Southern Hemisphere it occurs between December 20 and December 23.

More about the summer solstice