The autumnal equinox on Tuesday, Sept. 22, marks the official first day of fall. But the question is — when will it start to feel like fall in Virginia?
The National Weather Service's short-term forecast calls for warmer conditions this weekend, but temperatures will cool just in time for autumn's arrival. On Tuesday and Wednesday, highs are expected to barely exceed 70 degrees.
Looking ahead, The Old Farmer's Almanac says the season will be cooler and drier than normal along the Atlantic Corridor this year. September and October will be cooler and drier than average, with temperatures about a degree below normal along with roughly 1 inch less rainfall than usual.
The equinox officially ushers in the new season and its promise of crisp air, show-stopping fall foliage, and cool evenings just perfect for sitting around a fire pit, or perhaps taking in one of the fall meteor showers, starting with the Orionids, which run Oct. 2-Nov. 7, peaking overnight on Oct. 21-22.
Regarded as one of the most stunningly beautiful shooting star shows of the year, the Orionids produce about 23 meteors an hour.
Other fall meteor showers to keep an eye on are the short-lived Draconids, which run Oct. 6-10 and peak overnight Oct. 8-9.
Then come the Taurids, which are unique because they consist of two separate streams that ramble along from late September through December. The South Taurids peak overnight on Nov. 4–5, and the North Taurids overnight on Nov. 8–9.
Both streams are rich in fireballs, and are often responsible for increased numbers of fireball reports, according to the American Meteor Society.
Northern Virginia offers plenty of chances to play in the sunshine before winter's cold creeps in. It's prime time to go to apple orchards. Pumpkins are ripening on the vine. Farmers are cutting mazes into their cornfields to entertain local families, and markets across the region are selling seasonal favorites.
Some things to take in around Northern Virginia include:
Football season is underway for professional teams and many colleges, and "Friday night lights" — the moniker given to high school football games — are shining.
One game to watch would be South Lakes vs. Herndon High School on Friday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. This is the annual Baron Cameron Bowl, a rivalry dating to 1998 and rooted in the boundary separating the Reston and Herndon school communities. Check out the history of the two teams' rivalry.
The autumnal equinox isn't a daylong event but rather occurs at the exact moment the sun crosses the celestial equator — that's at 8:04 p.m. EDT
The word "equinox" comes from the Latin words "aequus," which means "equal," and "nox," which means "night." That's led to the perception that everyone worldwide sees the same amount of daylight and nighttime, but it's not the absolute truth. To be precise, daylight lasts about eight minutes longer than nighttime on the day of the equinox, EarthSky reported.
Speaking of daylight, it'll be time for the twice-annual clock-changing ritual before you know it. Daylight saving time ends Sunday, Nov. 1, when most Americans will turn their clocks back one hour.
That's unless legislation to make daylight saving time permanent nationwide becomes law. Earlier this year, the House voted 308-117 in favor of ending the twice-a-year clock changes and implementing daylight saving time.
The Sunshine Protection Act still needs Senate approval before it can go to President Donald Trump. The White House supports the measure, but it is unclear whether the Senate will take it up.
Here are five other things to know about the September equinox:
1. There's no guarantee, of course, but the chances of seeing stunning northern lights displays increase after the fall equinox. Both the spring and fall equinoxes are good aurora seasons, but autumn produces a surplus of geomagnetic storms — almost twice the annual average. And right now, the chances of seeing auroras are greater now that the sun has reached "solar maximum" in its 11-year cycle and the number of sunspots ramps up.
2. The date of the September equinox varies. The fall equinox can occur as early as Sept. 21 or as late as Sept. 24, according to Space.com. A Sept. 21 autumnal equinox hasn't occurred in several millennia, but some folks alive today may see it the next couple of times it rolls around, in 2092 and then again four years later in 2096. And the first day of fall hasn't fallen on Sept. 24 since 1931, and that won't happen again until 2303.
Here's the reason: A year is defined as 365 days by the Gregorian calendar, but it takes the Earth 365-¼ days to orbit the sun. What this means is the autumnal equinox occurs about six hours later than it did the year prior, which eventually moves the date by a day.
3. Thank Canada for spectacular fall sunsets with more vivid pinks, reds and oranges than at any other time of the year. As dry, clean Canadian air begins to sweep across the country, fewer colors of the rainbow spectrum are scattered by air molecules. That means the reds, oranges, yellows and pinks make it through for your sunset-viewing pleasure.
4. No matter where you are in the world, the sun will rise due east and set due west during the fall equinox (the same thing happens during the spring equinox). For the directionally challenged, it's a good time for a reset. Go outside around sunset or sunrise, find a landmark and mark the sun's location in relation to it.
5. Fall isn't just a time to start winterizing homes against stink bugs and other insects and buttoning up other things outside. It's rutting — or mating — season for deer, elk and moose, and males will battle it out by thrusting their antlers together until one of them gives up or dies.
Swans, geese and ducks begin their migration south. Frogs burrow deep into mudholes to wait out the winter. Chipmunks retreat to their underground tunnels. Bears eat and drink almost nonstop as they prepare for hibernation.
Are you planning an event this fall? Feature it so nearby readers see it all across Patch — including in roundups like this!
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