Happy Fall!!

The time of year that many wait the long, hot summer for is here! Pumpkin spice everything, cozy sweaters, crunching of the leaves, and all things spooky. Even though the area is still experiencing highs in the upper 80’s and lower 90’s, today marks the first day of fall, as the autumnal equinox happens today.

The actual equinox, where the sun becomes perfectly aligned with the equator, happened at 3:50 a.m. Eastern time. The word “equinox” comes from Latin aequus, meaning “equal,” and nox, “night.” Both hemispheres of the earth experience equal amounts of daylight and dark. In the northern half of the earth, the day marks the first day of autumn, as in the south it marks the first day of spring. After today, the nights become longer until the winter solstice on December 21, marking the shortest day of the year.

The shorter days will give way to cooler nights, and the shortened daylight hours will usher in the changing of the leaves. This fall is going to take its time arriving. The The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is forecasting a warmer-than-normal fall across the entire United States. Forecasting aside, it won’t be long before the temperature will begin to drop across the region and summer will finally surrender to fall.

Even though the pumpkin spice latte will more than likely be iced and the flannel shirt will be short sleeved, pumpkin carving, corn-mazes, and hikes through the woods are awaiting to be enjoyed!