First Day of Fall 2012: The Autumnal Equinox

IN MINNESOTA ITS LIKE FREAKIN FREEZING!!!!!!!!!!!

October 19th and the evenings are cool again in Los Angeles after the latest round of hot days (hopefully the last until next year). I love that golden light from the autumn sun in the late afternoon. I wish I lived in an area with lots of deciduous trees...I'd be loving the color.

What are the different factors that would make for an "Indian Summer"?

What determins when the autumn leaves change? Temp and/or length of daylight?
Tks!
Brad

Here in southern Ohio, the leaves are slowly changing; others have already turned and fallen off completely! But I absolutely love fall and all that comes wit it...bonfires, Halloween, gorgeous scenery and beautiful walks through the park. Happy Fall to all! Have a great day! :)

Sunrises and sunsets are different in the fall. The air smells fresh and crisp and it's refreshing on your face. I like driving with the heat on and windows rolled down.

This is my favorite time of year! There's nothing like the smell of pumpkin bread in the oven and a pot of hot coffee brewing. Walking outside and hearing the crunching leaves underfoot. Truly the best time of the year!

I know it's autumn when I see nuts on the ground around my house. It means the squirrels are doing their winter gathering...and inadvertent scattering.

WE LOVE THE FALL! Hello, stars in the sky!! @--)-- :O)

My Hummers are gone And my Cosmos petals have fallen But, I know more's in store And that's why I'm not bawlin'
~Patti Poff~

From Chicago . the leaves are starting to turn, the crickets and grasshoppers are gone from the garden, the nights are cool, the days heavenly, flannel shirt weather. The squirrels are busy burying the acorns and the smell of firewood is in the air. I wait all year long for September and October and they just fly by.

Welcome Autumn! Here in north-central California our daytime temperatures are still fairly hot (90-ish), with our nights cool 60-ish). We've had a very dry summer and need rain desperately. No real signs of autumn yet, but hopefully there will be soon.

I grew up in the midwest and love fall and the leaves changing colors!! I miss the leaves changing colors, raking the up, and jumping into the big huge pile of leaves!! Here in Phoenix we have a FEW more days of 100+ days of hot weather!!! Then it just might start to cool off into the middle to high 90's!!! Wish it would cool off more!!! Really miss the days of Fall of Wisconsin!!!!

Autumn Photos for you to enjoy:
http://www.andytodzia.com/p988612484

Love this time of year! Nature is preparing to rest. The winds are blowing crisp and there's a freshness in the air! The days have become comfortable and the chilly nights make for a restful sleep. Love cooking "comfort" foods that puts a smile my family's face.

I would love to receive your emails and updates.

The one thing I DON'T hear that tips me off to autumn approaching, is the lack of singing birds that would wake me every morning during spring and summer. The shorter days is another hint. I never did like autumn because of the shorter days and eventually all of nature goes to sleep in a hibernation to be followed by winter and cold.

Even in southern NJ where the temps are still in the 80's fall is starting to show Her face.The Monarch butterflies are heading south for the winter.

Hummingbirds left the day before Labor Day. A 14 foot Eastern Diamondback was spotted in a field nearby. It has rained nearly every day for the entire month of August near Savannah, GA

our fall looks like it's begun in july here in mich the oaks have been shedding leaves since then and since it's been dry. i doubt we'll have the spectacular colours we normaly have.

Here in Tennessee Autumn is on its way! It is the deeper blue color in the sky, that notice first. I have already seen this beginning. :) So happy!

The monarch butterflies are just beginning their magration through OK. Every two or three days, one flutters through my backyard.

Your article says "From here on out, the temperatures begin to drop and the days start to get shorter." Actually, the days start getting shorter after the summer solstice, up until the winter solstice when they start to get longer. The autumnal equinox is when the days start to get shorter than the nights (before the equinox the days are longer than the nights).

wow i loved your writing of fall. The summer comparing to dragons breath is perfect. I felt like was on a real travel as i read along. Awesome thanks.

YAAYY just 7 weeks till we enter Virgo Pass and leave the hot dragon breath of summer xD The last month of summer 8/22 - 9/22 is the most beautiful and amazing to see. The first 2 weeks are the hottest of days as the stubborn heat from August tries desperately to hold on. Each day gets hotter and drier up the imaginary high mountain pass of Virgo - sorta like seeing the dry side of the Cascade mountains in Washington State where temps can top over 100 deg. Then about Sept 11th the midpoint is reached and there's this blast of cool air that's never been felt before from the Libra side of the mountains. The air is crisp clean and has a beautiful chill that tames the fiery dragon breath of summer. Once over the pass and below the Virgo summit in the last 2 weeks of summer, the nights get chillier and outweigh the warmth and the grasslands begin to change into an array of color. Much like the Seattle side of the Cascades where the temp can be 40 degrees cooler in a matter of a few miles, that sudden drop in temps is enough to tip the scales of fall into full swing and each day the woodlands come more alive in color as the days shorten further. The most amazing image in my mind is descending the high mountains after so much summer discomfort and suffering and seeing the crisp clear waters of Scorpio Sound with the height of fall foliage around it's pristine shores. The beautiful fall landscape around the wooded city of Libra is like the perfect city that lives harmoniously in it's own environment allowing people and nature to live together in peace and thanksgiving. I cry every year living to see this beautiful season begin and like spring, fall can be very much like heaven on Earth YAAYY!

I live in the panhandle of Idaho and about 60 to 70 miles from Canada. Which issue of the almanac should I buy? I am new to the area and am a little unsure? San Francisco is a lot further away.

Here in Mena,Arkansas. We have had a few cool mornings. The leaves are just starting to change color. I myself looking for a bad winter. It's been hot and dry all summer.