The time is drawing nigh … cooler mornings, pleasant afternoons and beautiful displays of fall leaves.
Meteorological or climatological fall begins September 1 of every year and goes through November.
So, what is astronomical fall? Fox Weather's Michael Estime.
"Astronomical fall, we literally called that the Autumn Equinox, and it's basically when the sun's direct rays move from the northern hemisphere over the equator at 2:19 PM (Eastern Time) in the afternoon on the 22nd and then move into the Southern hemisphere."
Compartmentalizing the seasons into three-month periods makes recordkeeping much easier since the start and end dates of the seasons are always the same.
The dates of solstices and equinoxes can vary by a day or two each year, so comparisons of seasonal weather data would be challenging.
Data from the Climate Predication Center (CPC) for the period of September 7-11th shows much of the central and eastern United States with below normal temperatures, including a good part of California.
However, for September, October, and November…data shows much of the country with above normal temperatures.
