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The coolest fall equinox in years arrives Tuesday morning
That would be right now. I might turn on the heat. I refused to do so while it was still summer.
Capital Weather Gang
The coolest fall equinox in years arrives Tuesday morning
We kick off the new season on a chilly note.
By Justin Grieser
September 22, 2020 at 8:12 a.m. EDT
Chilly mornings, shorter days and longer nights. It’s certainly felt like fall lately, as crisp autumnal air more typical of October settled into our area over the weekend. Tuesday’s autumnal equinox is another reminder that summer is now officially behind us.
Astronomers use the equinox to mark the transition from summer to fall in the Northern Hemisphere, which happens around Sept. 22 or 23 every year. While many of us think of the first day of fall as a full calendar day, the equinox itself is a rather fleeting astronomical event. It happens at a precise moment when the sun’s direct rays are straight over Earth’s equator. This year’s equinox is at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time on Sept. 22.
{snip}
Over the past 30 years, our average high temperature has been around 79 degrees and the low around 62 when the fall equinox arrives. While it won’t be quite that warm on our first day of fall, we’ll be pretty close to those temperatures these next few days.
The beauty of autumn is its transitional nature. As the leaves begin to turn, we can expect a mix of warmer and cooler days as the last vestiges of summer compete with cold Arctic air spilling out of Canada. Eventually, cold air will gain the upper hand as the shorter days and longer nights remind us that winter lies ahead.
The coolest fall equinox in years arrives Tuesday morning
We kick off the new season on a chilly note.
By Justin Grieser
September 22, 2020 at 8:12 a.m. EDT
Chilly mornings, shorter days and longer nights. It’s certainly felt like fall lately, as crisp autumnal air more typical of October settled into our area over the weekend. Tuesday’s autumnal equinox is another reminder that summer is now officially behind us.
Astronomers use the equinox to mark the transition from summer to fall in the Northern Hemisphere, which happens around Sept. 22 or 23 every year. While many of us think of the first day of fall as a full calendar day, the equinox itself is a rather fleeting astronomical event. It happens at a precise moment when the sun’s direct rays are straight over Earth’s equator. This year’s equinox is at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time on Sept. 22.
{snip}
Over the past 30 years, our average high temperature has been around 79 degrees and the low around 62 when the fall equinox arrives. While it won’t be quite that warm on our first day of fall, we’ll be pretty close to those temperatures these next few days.
The beauty of autumn is its transitional nature. As the leaves begin to turn, we can expect a mix of warmer and cooler days as the last vestiges of summer compete with cold Arctic air spilling out of Canada. Eventually, cold air will gain the upper hand as the shorter days and longer nights remind us that winter lies ahead.
