The trees on the mountain and campus are slowly beginning to change colors, reminding us that cooler temperatures and layering is around the corner — as if football wasn’t enough of a reminder.
Then 2015 equinox, when the length of the day is as long as the night and what is traditionally considered the first day of fall, is set for Wednesday, Sept. 23. However, this cultural standard isn’t dependent on weather patterns, so question remains, “When will it start feeling like fall?”
Fortunately, “TIME Magazine” has an answer after examining 21-years of weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The magazine defined “autumn as the first five consecutive days in which the high was lower than 70 percent of a region’s yearly range in temperatures.”
Temperatures that constitute as “Fall-like,” are dependent on averaged temperatures of the region, that create a base-line for what are considered fall temperatures or summer temperatures.
“TIME Magazine” then took this data and created an interactive platform where people can enter their city or county, to determine the first predicted day of Fall in their region.
Interestingly, Utah County has an earlier prediction than most other counties, with fall starting only a day after the equinox.
The online source also notes how many “days of Fall,” have occurred consecutively in the region, so people know how close they are to reaching “Fall.”
As for now, Utah County will not reach the “TIME’s” predicted date by definition — summer is here to linger a little longer.