Late September forecast calls for ‘signs of fall,’ milder temperatures

For some parts of the country, the official start of fall will coincide with cooler temperatures – a welcome reprieve from a summer of sweltering heat waves and record temperatures.

Some areas are already enjoying mild temperatures well off their summer highs. Cities across the Northeast, including New York, Boston and Philadelphia, have experienced a stretch of autumn-like weather in mid-September, with overnight lows in the 50s and 60s.

The trend is likely to continue, forecasters say, as the Northern Hemisphere loses daylight and summer loosens its grip on large parts of the country.

"The most intense heat of the season is pretty much finished," said Chad Merrill, senior meteorologist and long-range forecaster at AccuWeather. "There will be some periods of warmer-than-average temperatures … but we're starting to see signs of fall."

But not all parts of the U.S. are relishing cooler temperatures. Across the central and southern U.S., temperatures have remained above average for weeks, with afternoon highs well into the 90s and, in some areas, triple-digits.

On Sept. 17, heat advisories were active from Oklahoma to Illinois. And in Tennessee, feels-like temperatures were expected to reach over 100 degrees.

Meteorologists say the relentless heat will soon begin to…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/