Autumnal equinox marks start of fall, but heat could stick around

Our long, hot summer is finally coming to an end this evening with the autumnal equinox, which marks the beginning of fall here in the Northern Hemisphere.

At a precise moment each September, usually on the 22nd or 23rd, the sun is directly above the equator, marking the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere.

(South of the equator in the Southern Hemisphere, it's known as the vernal or spring equinox and marks the beginning of spring.)

But what weather will the U.S. see this fall, given the record hot August and a forecast that calls for El Niño to peak either in late fall or early winter?

Read on for the forecast and also a look back at some of the statistics that made the three-month summer so remarkable.

The exact time of the equinox is 8:05 p.m. ET. The equinox occurs at the same moment worldwide.

The word equinox comes from the Latin words "aequalis" and "nox," meaning equal night. On the autumnal (and the spring) equinox, day and night are both roughly 12 hours long in most of the world.

This will be true Sept. 22 from as far north as Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska – north of…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/travel/