Autumn officially begins Saturday night

Fall-like temperatures to follow

ROANOKE, Va. – While September 2018 has been one of the warmest on record in our area, that hasn't stopped the shelves from being stocked with pumpkin-spice everything. Saturday night, we officially ring in the season of pigskins, flannel and of course our beloved pumpkin spice.

This happens when the sun's rays shine directly above the equator, also known as the autumnal equinox. 

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Between now and the winter solstice, we typically notice a large drop off in our temperatures. We all know that. 

This can be attributed to the two and a half hours of daylight we lose over the next three months.

As far as foliage goes, we've had two of the three ingredients come to fruition in order for the colors to pop this year. However, we need to start getting the warm days and crisp, fall nights. That hasn't been happening for us just yet.

Outside of getting wedged in with cool air and clouds Sunday and Monday, we anticipate some cooler air spilling in from the west by the start of October. This should hopefully kickstart the process for leaves to change and pop this year, as opposed to the past two years.


About the Author:

Meteorologist Chris Michaels is an American Meteorological Society (AMS) Certified Broadcaster, forecasting weather conditions in southwest Virginia on WSLS 10 News from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays on Virginia Today.