When do spring and autumn equinoxes occur

The summer is awful. I hate hot weather and the AC bills. Used to like it as a child, but school was out. We rarely get snow but when we do everyone enjoys it. My husband was from Pa. But I will take cooler weather all the time. After giving this a few minutes of thought, I've come to the conclusion that I truly like all four seasons for what each has to offer. I feel this is due to the transitions from one season to another.

When winter releases its grip and gives into Spring, it's a time of renewal. Ice and snow give way to green landscapes and flower buds. Late spring sees the trees becoming fuller and the whitetail fawns, full of spots, running in the fields. By the beginning of Summer, vacations to the beech, and long days allow for getting a lot of fun crammed into the day.

The last days of summer feel brutally hot and any relief would be welcomed. Enter Autumn The days get noticeably shorter and there is a crispness to the air that you can smell. As we fully embrace Fall, we do so in sweatshirts and light jackets.

The feel of a campfire on your face and backside is so welcomed. Iced tea consumption goes down and cider, both cold and hot, increases. For some reason, I don't drink hot chocolate during the previous two seasons, but I sure do make up for during Fall and Winter. Oh, and Thanksgiving, don't get my started. I love to eat and all that I need is a reason. Speaking of Winter, this season holds my favorite holiday, Christmas my birthday as well, but His is greater!

Coats, boots, and 4-wheel drive are the order of the day. Going outside is always an adventure. I'm old enough that shoveling snow and cleaning off vehicles it's something that I can do anytime of the day read retired , but snow still brings out my inner child.

By the end of Winter, I'm ready for Spring once more. Why do we always seem to get a snow storm when I'm ready for the daffodils to pop up? I guess it makes me appreciate the coming Spring that much more.

Ok, backed against a wall, I'd have to go with Autumn as my favorite season. Cooler days, campfires, Halloween, Thanksgiving, [Christmas season], and all of the decorations that go with each. My favorite season is fall or autumn the only season with 2 names when leaves are falling and changing color it starts to cool down I love the cool weather I come from new England where its beautiful in the fall. Lived all my life in northerly climes. Retired to southerly climes.

Wish I had done this 20 years ago :. Summer and spring are my favorite seasons; I love the warm weather of spring, and also, my birthday's in the summer! August 5. I love decorating my porch, raking leaves and the beautiful color of the trees, pumpkins and warm cider too.

We live really close to a acre park and the smell of the campfires in the air is something to remind me fall is here! The change from hot summer to cool fall is the best. It brings back memories of being in high school going to football games and having parties around a bon fire. The smell of dead leaves brings back so many childhood memories out in the yard playing.

And you cant forget Halloween! The best holiday of all!!! But when it comes to winter it sure finds a way to where out its welcome. One of our favorite pieces of trivia surrounding the autumnal equinox involves its relationship with the full Moon. Surprise, surprise: it has to do with farming! Around the fall equinox, the full Moon rises around sunset for several nights in a row, which traditionally provided farmers with just enough extra light for them to finish their harvests before the killing frosts of fall set in.

It can occur in either October or November. This year, the Harvest Moon happens on Monday, September 20—just two days prior to the autumnal equinox. From here on out, the temperatures begin to drop. This is a common misconception. Leaves change color because of the amount of daylight and photosynthesis. Learn more about autumn leaves. A: Some say that during an equinox, day and night is equal. Well, not exactly. It depends on where you live.

On the equinox, the center of the Sun is indeed above the horizon for 12 hours. In this case, daylight is still a bit longer than nighttime.

Yes, you can see the Sun before the edge actually reaches the horizon! This causes daylight to be longer than 12 hours as well. A: Based on the astronomical definition of seasons, yes, the autumnal equinox does mark the first day of fall in the Northern Hemisphere. However, according to the meteorological definition of seasons, which is based on temperature cycles and the Gregorian calendar, the first day of fall is September 1.

See more about equinox facts from Almanac astronomer, Bob Berman. What are your local signs of fall? In many regions of the Northern Hemisphere, the landscape silently explodes with vibrant colors of red, yellow, and orange. The leaves begin to drop off the trees, providing endless hours of jumping into leaf piles for kids and raking them back up for parents!

Fall also brings some wonderful holidays, including Halloween and Thanksgiving , which carry us through the season until temperatures begin to drop, nights begin to get longer, and all the woodland critters start storing up for the long haul of winter. Plants and trees are slowing down, as sunlight decreases, to get ready for the colder season ahead. In the garden, asters and chrysanthemums bloom beautifully as orange pumpkins and corn mazes abound.

Also notice the arc of the Sun across the sky each day as it starts shifting south. Birds and butterflies migrate along with the path of our Sun! Of course, you can you can easily notice the later dawns and earlier sunsets.

Aster flowers. The fall equinox has been a day of celebration for cultures since ancient days. Wishing a colorful, cool, cozy autumn to all our Almanac readers.

Tell us your favorite things about the fall season below! To learn more about all four seasons and see when they begin, see First Day of Seasons. My grandson and I always split a persimmon seed to see what kind of winter weather it predicts— knife, spoon, or fork. Greetings from Ireland! Best wishes. I enjoy the smell of the leaves as they fall and dry underneath my feet, and the coolness of the wind.

This means that day length is exactly the same 12 hours at all points on the earth's surface on these days except right at each pole, where it will be about to change from permanent light to dark, or vice versa.

The name is derived from the Latin aequus equal and nox night , because at the equinox the night and day are nearly equally long.

The Autumn Equinox is the first day of the autumn season and occurs when the sun passes the equator moving from the northern to the southern hemisphere.

The North Pole begins to tilt away from the sun. The Spring Equinox is the first day of spring season and occurs when the sun passes the equator moving from the southern to the northern hemisphere. The North Pole begins to lean toward the sun again. Equinoxes do not always occur on the same day each year, and generally will occur about 6 hours later each year, with a jump of a day backwards on leap years.

The Earth takes approximately Every 4 years, we have a leap year where another day is added to our calendar to make up for the 4 missing quarters. Please try another search. Multiple locations were found. Please select one of the following:. Location Help. News Headlines. Customize Your Weather. Privacy Policy. The Seasons, the Equinox, and the Solstices Weather.

Current Hazards. Rivers and Lakes. Climate and Past Weather. The Seasons We all know that the Earth makes a complete revolution around the sun once every days, following an orbit that is elliptical in shape.

The Relationship Between Length of Day and Temperature There is a lag between the longest day of the year and the warmest average temperatures for most mid and high latitude locations. Current Weather.