When is the first day of fall? What to know about the start of the autumnal season

The still-hot weather may not reflect it yet in many parts of the country, but summer is nearly over and the fall season is fast approaching.

While many consider the back-to-school season as the unofficial start of fall, there is an official start date for people not following along a school calendar. So, there's still time to gather those rakes for the leaves in your backyard and prepare for the inevitable pumpkin spice everything.

Grab your calendar and a pen, because fall is on it's way. Here's what to know about the first day of fall.

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When is the first day of fall?

The first day of fall this year, also known as the autumnal equinox is Sunday, Sept. 22. According to the Farmer's Almanac, the exact time of the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere is 8:44 a.m. EDT.

There are technically two days that you could consider as the start of the fall season. There's astronomical fall, which begins Sept. 22 with the autumnal equinox. Some meteorologists also consider Sunday, Sept. 1 as the start of meteorological fall, which is based on the annual temperature cycle.

What is the autumnal equinox?

Equinoxes only happen twice a year, and occur when the Earth's axis is tilted neither toward or away from the sun, crating a nearly equal amount of daylight and darkness, according to the National Weather Service. The other equinox occurs in the spring, and is called the vernal equinox.

The two equinoxes happen between the winter and summer solstices, when the Earth's tilt toward and away from the sun is at its maximum.

When will leaves start to change?

The leaf-changing time will vary, based on the weather and where you live in the U.S. According to the 2024 fall foliage prediction map from SmokeyMountains.com, the first leaves will begin to change along the Canadian borders of some northern states as well as in Colorado and Utah by early September.

Nearly all of the contiguous U.S. states will have leaves changing by Oct. 30, the map predicts, with fall colors ranging from minimal to past peak.

When is the first day of winter?

The first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere comes with the winter solstice, which will happen this year on Saturday, Dec. 21.

The winter solstice is often known as the shortest day of the year, meaning it is the day with the fewest daylight hours. After the winter solstice, days will gradually begin to get longer again.