Fall has officially begun in the Northern Hemisphere

The sun went directly above the equator at 3:50 a.m. Monday

ROANOKE, Va. – As of 3:50 a.m. Monday, fall has officially started in the Northern Hemisphere. This is when the sun moves directly above the equator, meaning we see (almost) equal day and equal night.

On average, high temperatures this time of year are in the 70s. That's definitely not the case this time around. 

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Similar to the drop in temperatures, we see a drop in the amount of daylight. Between now and the first day of winter, we lose about two and a half hours of daylight. 

We also lose a lot of green on the trees, which can be beautiful at times. Average peak foliage dates range from early October in the mountains to late October in the Piedmont.

If we don't get any substantial rain or cool nights, the colors may not be as vibrant this year. 

As you would expect in mid-to-late September, any kind of change in the leaves has been slim to none so far.


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.

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