CHARLOTTE, N.C. — You may have heard that Sept. 1 was the first day of meteorological fall, but what does this mean? The calendar says autumn begins on Sept. 22.
The "official" beginning or end of a season you may be accustomed to is called an “astronomical season."
Meteorologists and climatologists break down the seasons into three-month groups.
- Winter: The coldest time of the year and consists of December, January and February
- Spring: Includes March, April and May
- Summer: The warmest time of the year and consists of June, July and August
- Fall: Includes September, October and November
Meteorological seasons are based on the annual temperature cycle and are typically more consistent. It’s also much easier for keeping records on and calculating climatological averages. In Charlotte, the average temperature during meteorological fall ranges from 86 degrees on Sept.1 to 58 degrees on Nov. 30.
Astronomical fall, or the autumnal equinox, starts on Sept. 22. This change in seasons is centered around the Earth’s revolution around the Sun. The orbit around the season, combined with the Earth’s 23.5° tilt, gives us these seasons.
In 2021, the autumnal equinox will take place at 3:21 p.m. EDT and marks the moment the sun's rays are shining directly on the equator. It’s called the equinox because daytime and nighttime are equal lengths.
The winter solstice, which occurs on Dec. 21, will be the shortest day of the year and marks the start of winter.
The next spring equinox will fall on March 20, 2022, and marks the start of spring. The summer solstice will then happen on June 21, 2022, and that day will have the most sunlight of the year, often called the "longest day" of the calendar year.
Whether you're talking about meteorological fall or astronomical autumn, the days are slowly getting shorter.
On Sept. 1, the sun will set at 7:50 p.m. But once the autumnal equinox comes around on Sept. 22, the sun will set at 7:20 p.m.
Contact Brittany Van Voorhees at bvanvoorhe@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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