Autumn is Here!

Fall officially began today (Sunday 9/22) at 3:44pm.  That time is the exact moment the sun's rays were shining directly over the Equator, giving equal sunlight to both the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere.  This occurs when the Earth's 23.5° axis is tilting neither toward or away from the sun.  This is where seasons come into play!  When the axis points toward the sun, we have Summer.  When Earth's axis points away from the sun, we have Winter.  When it is pointing neither toward or away, you have your Vernal (Spring) and Autumnal (Fall) Equinox (appx. equal day & night).  For more on the Autumnal Equinox, click here.

From now until December 21st, the hours of daylight will be getting shorter, which means the temperature will be getting cooler.  I put together a graphic showing the averages for the first and last day of Fall, as well as the average first day of frost in the Quad Cities.

High temperatures on average drop 41° over the next three months, while lows cool 34°!

While temperatures usual cool during Fall, the first full week of the new season will feature a gradual warm up, with temperatures near 80° by the end of the week.  Catch your full forecast online anytime at www.whbf.com/weather.