Fall starts Monday, days getting shorter

Autumnal equinox on MondayFall officially arrives on Monday.

The arrival of the autumnal equinox Monday means fall is officially here and so too are shorter days.

KSTP Chief Meteorologist Ken Barlow says fall will officially start at 1:19 p.m. Monday.

While Monday will be quite nice even after summer is gone, Minnesotans know what is ahead.

Full forecast from Minnesota’s Weather Authority

What it means

The start of fall is marked by the sun crossing the equator to the Southern Hemisphere.

The equinox can land between Sept. 21 and 24 each year, with the exact time coming when the sun is directly over the equator.

Celebrations have long been held to mark equinoxes, with countries across the world hosting harvest festivals and similar events in recognition of the changing season.

Now, the days will become shorter and cooler until the winter solstice, which will happen on Dec. 21.

Except for five days after the end of daylight saving time in early November, sunrise will be after 7 a.m. until near the end of February.

Sunset will be before 7 p.m. by the start of next week and the daylength will be an hour shorter in less than three weeks.

Fall colors

While the shorter days and cooler weather may not be everyone’s favorite, there are some perks of fall.

Fall colors are a big one, and Minnesota should have some beautiful scenery again this year.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says roughly half the state is at 25-50% of its fall color progression, but that’s mostly north of the metro. The Twin Cities and southern Minnesota are between 0-25%.

DNR’s Fall Color Finder

The DNR estimates peak fall color around the metro will be in mid-October, with that period being earlier farther north and later in the southeastern corner of the state.

Sunshine returns as fall beginsAfter the Sunday night storms, Monday will be dry with increasing sunshine for the arrival of fall.

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