False fall? Here’s when the first day of fall is and when to expect cooler temperatures

Labor Day has passed and pumpkin flavor everything is making its way back onto the shelves and in coffee shops, which means … it’s time for another couple of weeks of summer.

Yes, you read that correctly. There are still a couple of more weeks before we hit the first official day of fall. It does help that it hasn’t felt like autumn yet. Communities across Tennessee have been dealing with temperatures in the upper 80s up to 90 this past week, but that could soon change and give us a taste of false fall before the actual first day.

Here’s when the actual first day of fall is and when to expect cooler temperatures regularly.

When is the first day of fall?

The first day of fall is Sunday, Sept. 22, at 7:44 a.m. CT/ 8:44 a.m. ET, also known as the autumnal equinox.

The equinox is known as the astronomical start of the season, but there is another method used to measure the change in seasons.

The meteorological start to fall is based on the annual temperature cycle and the 12-month calendar. With this definition, each season begins on the first of a particular month and lasts for three months. This means summer will end on Aug. 31 and fall will start on Sept. 1, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

When is the last day of summer?

Tennesseans can keep summer vibes going until Saturday, Sept. 21.

When can we expect cooler temperatures in Tennessee?

It may have been hot this week, but Accuweather predicts cooler weather across Tennessee as we head into the weekend, but it won’t be around for long.

Middle and West Tennessee residents can expect temperatures to jump back up into the upper 80s to the mid-90s until the first day of fall. The mountains of East Tennessee will see slightly cooler temperatures ahead of Sept. 22, with temperatures hovering around the mid-80s. But as the autumnal equinox— or the September equinox or the fall equinox — hits at the end of the month, it will bring a change in season with shorter days and temperatures that start to feel just a bit more fall-like.

Tennessee is looking at near-average temperatures for fall this year, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. As for what the forecast looks like, temperatures will start to drop at night and toward the end of the month across Tennessee into the mid to upper 70s, according to Accuweather’s monthly weather forecast predictions.