This Tuesday, September 22, is officially the first day of fall.
At 5:05 p.m. Arizona time, the autumnal equinox will occur. That means we can finally break out the sweaters, order pumpkin-spice everything and enjoy the crisp autumn air.
Or, since we live in Arizona, we can continue wearing shorts and carefully avoid touching the steering wheel with our bare hands.
Most people have heard that the equinox is the day when daylight and darkness are exactly equal. Surprisingly, that isn’t quite true. Because of the way sunlight bends through our atmosphere—and because sunrise and sunset are measured using the top edge of the sun—we actually get a little more than 12 hours of daylight.
Here are a few other equinox facts you may not know:
- The word “equinox” comes from Latin words meaning “equal night.”
- The sun rises almost exactly due east and sets almost exactly due west.
- The equinox happens at one precise moment worldwide, not throughout the entire day.
- You may have heard that you can balance an egg on its end during the equinox. You can—but you can also do it any other day if you have a steady hand and entirely too much free time.
So, when does it actually begin to feel like fall around here?
We usually start noticing more comfortable mornings sometime in October, but the afternoons can remain pretty warm. Phoenix’s average October high is still around 88 degrees. By Halloween, the normal high is about 83 with a low around 60—and Cave Creek and Carefree are often a little cooler than central Phoenix.
November is when Arizona finally starts taking fall seriously. That’s when we can comfortably spend more time outside, open the windows and begin seeing people wear jackets in 70-degree weather.
The temperatures will eventually cool down, the patios will fill up and the snowbirds will return. That’s how we really know fall has arrived in Arizona—the leaves don’t change color, but the license plates do!
Have a great afternoon,
Joy, Jen, Kim, Kathy, Coloradas, Maxfield, Dr Shriner and Dr Ring
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