Dear Tom,
You recently made reference to “meteorological fall.” Isn’t that really a lie? It’s still summer! Why don’t you get with it?
George Zilliac
Dear George,
Our use of the terms “meteorological fall” and “astronomical fall” is strictly a matter of adherence to established definitions.
Astronomical fall is the period between the autumnal equinox (on or about Sept. 22) and the winter solstice (on or about Dec. 22). The key phrase is “on or about.” Because the dates and times of those astronomic events shift from year to year, they do not yield the precise, unchanging time periods that meteorologists require for calculations of averages (such as an average autumn temperature).
Meteorologists therefore define “meteorological fall” as Sept. 1 through Nov. 30.
———-
Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
