When Is The First Day Of Fall 2022? Events In PA

SOUTHEASTERN, PA — Fall is in the air, almost literally. Thursday is the first day of fall, and already this Friday morning, you could feel it coming.

It was time to pull out the sweatshirts again as temperatures dropped into the high 40s.

Fall festivals, hayrides, pumpkin patches, high school sports, and other fall activities are already available throughout Chester County.

The autumnal equinox isn’t a daylong event but rather occurs at the exact moment the sun crosses the celestial equator — that happens at 9:03 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Thursday, Sept. 22.

Here are some ideas to activities in your neighborhoods.

• Where to Pick a pumpkin near West Chester.
• Where to pick a pumpkin near Tredyffrin and Easttown townships.
• Where to pick a pumpkin near Malvern.
• Where to pick a pumpkin near Phoenixville.
• Where to pick a pumpkin near Radnor.

Fall foliage

The equinox officially ushers in the new season and its promise of crisp air.
The show-stopping fall foliage, and cool evenings are just perfect for sitting around a fire pit or viewing a half-dozen fall and winter meteor showers.

It's the perfect time of year to go for a leisurely bike ride or walk along the Schuylkill River Trail and experience the vibrant colors of the foliage in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Fall foliage is abundant throughout Chester County, including at parks such as Valley Forge Park and Marsh Creek, and other outdoor attractions such as Longwood Gardens and the area around the Brandywine River Museum. A list is available here.

The word equinox comes from the Latin words “aequus,” which means “equal,” and “nox,” which means night. Daylight lasts about eight minutes longer than nighttime on the day of the equinox, EarthSky reported.

Speaking of daylight, it’ll be time for the twice annual clock-changing ritual before you know it. Daylight saving time ends Sunday, Nov. 6. You may recall legislation for year-round daylight saving time sailed through the Senate, but the issue is far from settled in the House.

Here are five other things to know about the September equinox:

1. There’s no guarantee, of course, but the chances of seeing stunning northern lights displays increase after the fall equinox, according to NASA. Both the spring and fall equinoxes are good aurora seasons, but autumn produces a surplus of geomagnetic storms — almost twice the annual average.

• Related: Aurora Borealis Displays More Likely In Active Solar Storm Season | Aurora Borealis Hunting: What’s A Kp Index, More Northern Lights Tips

2. The date of the September equinox varies. Usually, it’s on the 22nd, as it is this year, or the 23rd, but it can occur as early as Sept. 21 or as late as Sept. 24, according to Space.com.

3. Thank Canada for spectacular fall sunsets with more vivid pinks, reds and oranges than at any other time of the year. The Weather Channel offers an explanation: As dry, clean Canadian air begins to sweep across the country, fewer colors of the rainbow spectrum are scattered by air molecules. That means the reds, oranges, yellows and pinks make it through for your sunset viewing pleasure.

4. No matter where you are in the world, the sun will rise due east and set due west during the fall equinox (the same thing happens during the spring equinox). For the directionally challenged, it’s a good time for a reset. Go outside around sunset or sunrise, find a landmark and mark the sun’s location in relation to it.

5. Fall isn’t just a time to start winterizing homes against stink bugs and other insects and buttoning up other things outside. It’s rutting — or mating — season for deer, elk and moose, and males will battle it out by thrusting their antlers together until one of them gives up or dies.

• Related: Stink Bugs, Other Insects May Enter Your Home Soon: How To Stop Them

Swans, geese and ducks begin their migration south. Frogs burrow deep into mud holes to wait out the winter. Chipmunks retreat to their underground tunnels. Bears eat and drink almost nonstop as they prepare for hibernation.