Autumn lovers rejoice. Summer is winding down as the fall equinox is finally here.
While fall and Halloween decor have already hit many store shelves and pumpkin spice lattes are being served in coffee shops across the nation, the equinox marks the first official day of the fall season.
The equinox occurs twice a year, once in spring and again in fall. Unlike the summer and winter solstices, the equinoxes do not mark longer nights or days, but instead give us days that are equal daytime and nighttime.
So grab a warm bowl of soup, a cup tea or a hot latte, and get comfy. Here's what you need to know about the fall equinox.
When is the fall equinox?
In 2026, the fall equinox will fall on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 8:05 p.m. ET, according to NASA.
Other names for the fall equinox
The fall equinox is known by several
names, per NASA and other sources, including the following:
- Fall equinox
- Autumnal equinox
- September equinox
- Southward equinox
When will the leaves begin to change?
The U.S. will begin to see leaves change colors from late September to mid-October, USA TODAY previously reported.
Some parts of southern California and most of the South can expect leaves to change in November, according to ExploreFall.com. But other parts of southern California, southern Texas and most of Florida won't see the leaves change until December.
When does the equinox usually happen?
The equinox happens twice a year:
- Once when the spring equinox occurs in March
- And again when the fall equinox occurs in September
"The equinox marks the exact moment when the center of the Sun crosses the plane of our planet’s equator," according to NASA. "The day of an equinox, observers at the equator will see the Sun directly overhead at noon."
Usually, the fall equinox falls on any day between Sept. 22 and Sept. 24, per Time and Date.
Google has a cute fall surprise
Americans love fall, and Google knows it.
When you google "fall equinox" or "autumnal equinox" leaves of various shapes, sizes and colors will appear to slowly fall from the top of your internet browser.
Best places to visit this fall in the US
If you want to travel to get in the fall spirit now that the equinox is here, below are 10 cities to visit according to USA TODAY 10BEST's list of Best spots in the U.S. to visit this fall. They include:
- Mackinac Island, Michigan
- Allegany County, Maryland
- Woodstock, Georgia
- Gatlinburg, Tennessee
- Lafayette, Louisiana
- Rochester, New York
- Saratoga County, New York
- Burlington, Vermont
- Yakima Valley, Washington
- Sleepy Hollow, New York
When is the first day of winter?
The fall equinox also means we're moving closer to winter and the holiday season, but how close are we?
Monday, Dec. 21, at 10:03 a.m. ET marks the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.
The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, but days will gradually get longer as time marches on toward spring and summer.
Julia Gomez is a Trending reporter for USA TODAY and covers space phenomena, scientific studies and natural disasters. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Goodbye summer. Today the fall equinox begins
