Fall Facts And Trivia: 18 Things To Know About The Autumnal Equinox And Harvest Season

See you later, summer. Fall starts Thursday, on the autumnal equinox, at 10:21 a.m. EDT. It will kick off a season of sweaters, cider, holidays and football stretching through December. What could be better?

While you're waiting for the weather to cool down, get excited for autumn by reading up on trivia about the season. Below are 18 facts about fall — share them with your friends (and make plans to go apple-picking ASAP):

The terms "fall" and "autumn" are used interchangeably, though the latter is more popular among British people.

The word "autumn" originated from the French word "automne" — which came from the Latin word "autumnus."

Average fall temperatures in the United States can range from about 70 degrees to about 30 degrees, depending on which state you live in.

The warmest state in fall is, predictably, Florida.

The coldest is Alaska.

One gallon of apple cider takes about 40 individual apples to make.

Washington, the top apple-producing state, will harvest nearly 133 million boxes of apples this year.

If you have fall allergies, you're likely affected by ragweed, the most common trigger this time of year. Watch out for mold and dust mites, too.

There are more than 300 TV shows premiering new episodes this fall (including the "Gilmore Girls" revival!)

October is Black History Month in the United Kingdom.

In the U.S., October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month as well as National Bullying Prevention Month.

National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, kicks off Nov. 1. Participants will attempt to write 50,000 words between Nov. 1 and 30.

Election day is Nov. 8. Get ready.

Fall birthstones include sapphire (September), opal and tourmaline (October), and yellow topaz and citrine (November).

The changing leaves are called "koyo" in Japanese.

Australia will celebrate spring from September to November because it's located in the southern hemisphere. Australians' autumn goes from March to May.

Testosterone is highest in the fall.

Winter formally starts on Dec. 21 at 5:44 a.m. EDT.