When exactly does fall begin this year?
NORTH TEXAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) – The fall season won't begin fast enough.
From excessive heat warnings and wildfires to extreme drought, this summer will be a season we will never forget.
In fact, your CBS News Texas First Alert Weather Team tracked more than 50 100-degree days at DFW Airport just this summer alone. Last year, we only had 47 days with high temperatures at 100 degrees or higher.
But soon, the calendar will bring a welcome change as we look ahead to fall.
The first day of fall is Saturday, Sept. 23 at 1:50 a.m. Central Time. Officially, that day is called the autumnal equinox.
Our seasons are based on the tilt of the Earth's axis toward or away from the sun. When the Earth's Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, Texans are sizzling through the summer. And when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, we experience winter.
But during the equinoxes (vernal and autumnal), the Earth is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun, which means we'll have nearly equal amounts of daylight and darkness at all latitudes around the globe.
Sunrise in Dallas on Saturday, Sept. 23 is at 7:16 a.m. and sunset is at 7:23 p.m. So, we'll have about 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness starting on that day!
Just keep in mind, though, that the first day of fall doesn't necessarily mean that we will feel a significant cooldown immediately.
In fact, your CBS News Texas First Alert Weather Team took a look back at the high temperatures on first days of fall over the past 30 years at DFW Airport.
Last year, we reached a high temperature of 98 degrees on the first day of fall here in DFW.
In 2021, our high temperature was 83 degrees. However, in 2020, our high temperature was much cooler, reaching 70 degrees at the airport.
One of the hottest first days off all fall in the last 30 years was in 2005. We reached 101 degrees at DFW Airport. One of the coolest was in 1995 when we reached a high temperature of 68 degrees.
As we push through the cooler months, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.
Daylight savings time ends on Sunday, November 5, 2023 at 2 a.m. Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour before bed.
Also, if you're looking for some fall foliage here in North Texas, just hang on a little while longer.
Our fall color peak is typically around mid to late November in North Texas. We'll have to see how vibrant our colors will be though.
Typically, when we have a late dry summer, our leaves are a bit brighter. However, extreme drought conditions may impact the season.
We'll keep you posted from the First Alert Weather Center.