Austum colors are pictured on Oct. 4, 2019. (Carter Williams/KSL.com)
SALT LAKE CITY — With record-breaking temperatures still at arm’s length, a long, wet winter season may not be on a Utahn’s mind. Today is the first day of fall, bringing with it the last few months of the year.
The autumnal equinox, foreshadowed by the Harvest moon, has come right on time this year.
Today, the sun is shining directly on the equator. As equinox is Latin for “equal”, both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are receiving the same amount of rays today. The only difference is, while this equinox is a catalyst for Utah’s fall, in the southern hemisphere it’s an indicator that spring has begun.
For Utah’s start of fall, experiencing more 100 degrees days isn’t likely. According to Weather Spark, daily temperatures will continue to decrease at the start of October.
Leading into the holiday months, last year the Farmer’s Almanac predicted Utah to have a drier winter which proved accurate, this year the farmer’s almanac is predicting the opposite.
The Farmer’s Almanac is warning the western U.S. to prepare for a wet winter. Temperatures are expected to be slightly warmer than creating a lot of precipitation. But don’t grab the skis just yet, this precipitation will mostly come in the form of heavy rain.
In contrast, from the Rockies to the east coast, temperatures will be “cold and shivery” with above-average snowfall. In the 2023 edition of “The Old Farmer’s Almanac,” editor Janice Stillman is calling it “the tale of two winters”.
“Depending on where you live, this will be the best of winters or memorable for all the wrong reasons,” said Stillman. “One half of the country will deal with bone-chilling cold and loads of snow, while the other half may feel like winter never really arrives.”
Until the first snow arrives, the colors of fall will still be seen in the surrounding Utah mountain ranges.
And just like summer has decided to linger, fall may too.
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