Pittsburgh 2024 Fall Forecast: AccuWeather Weighs In On Autumn

PITTSBURGH, PA — You might want to wait before taking your autumn and winter sweaters out of storage. State College-based AccuWeather is predicting a warmer-than-average fall for much of the nation, including Pittsburgh.

AccuWeather on Wednesday predicted a "second summer," for meteorological autumn, which arrives on Sunday Sept. 1. Astronomical autumn will arrive at 5:43 a.m. on Sunday Sept. 22.

Temperatures up to 3 degrees or more above the historical average could be prevalent through October and November in parts of the Northeast, Midwest and Rockies.

“Fall is going to feel more like an extended summer for millions of Americans this year,” said AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Expert Paul Pastelok.

“Much of the country will experience a delayed transition to cooler temperatures this year, following a summer with intense heat. We’ve seen record-high temperatures shattered in several cities across California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and North Carolina this summer. We could see more record temperatures this fall.”

Why the warmth? AccuWeather senior meteorologist Brett Anderson cited emissions from the burning of fossil fuels and a warming atmosphere, which are creating a noticeable shift in fall temperatures in many parts of the country.

“One of the greatest impacts climate change is having on fall weather in the United States is with evening and overnight temperatures, which continue to rise across a large portion of the country,” Anderson. said.

“In addition to general climate warming, higher humidity levels in the eastern half of the nation lingering in the fall months means more clouds and higher dew points, which does not allow the temperature to drop as quickly as it normally would. "