When Is Autumnal Equinox 2014? Things To Know About First Day Of Fall

As temperatures begin to drop in the Northern Hemisphere and the leaves begin to turn different shades of red, orange and yellow, the 2014 autumnal equinox, when day and night are the same length, is approaching. While many people see Labor Day as the unofficial end to summer, the first day of fall 2014 does not begin until Monday, Sept. 22, the Farmer's Almanac states. It will end on Dec. 20, ahead of the winter solstice.

The last two years summer ended on Sept. 22, but it doesn’t always occur on the same day. The first day of the autumnal equinox varies, depending on Earth's movement in relation to the sun. The autumnal equinox, which is also known as the September equinox, occurs when the sun moves across the celestial equator. As a result, there are shorter days and longer nights in the Northern Hemisphere, which is elongated further when Daylight Saving Time occurs. In the Southern Hemisphere, the same equinox brings longer days, shorter nights and is the beginning of spring.

This year’s autumnal equinox will begin at 10:29 p.m. EDT. There will be 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness.

If people living in North America noticed leaves are hanging on trees a little longer than normal, there’s a weather proverb that predicts the type of winter that will occur, the Farmer’s Almanac states. "If autumn leaves are slow to fall, prepare for a cold winter.

Autumn also brings some seasonal favorites, like pumpkin and apples, which thrive in the cooler weather. Starbucks even created a Twitter account for its infamous pumpkin spiced latte.

Twitter users were excited about the season change and posted comments about the quickly approaching autumnal equinox. Some of their comments have been posted below:

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