Leaves are already starting to shift colors in Maryland, and the summer’s stretch of heat finally seems to have broken , signs that autumn is on its way.

But when exactly will fall be here?

The first day of the season, just like spring, is marked by the equinox. An equinox is just what it sounds like, an equal period — 24 hours with equal parts day and night. And for autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, the equinox falls on Sept. 22. More specifically, the astronomical fall begins at 2:19 p.m. that day, which is the moment direct sunlight crosses the equator, said Michael Allen, an associate professor of geography with a focus on climatology and meteorology, at Towson University.

But a lot of variability exists across North America as to the start of how we define autumn as “leaf peepin

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