By Carol Mowdy Bond
Contributing Writer
September 22 marked the first day of autumn, or fall, as it is sometimes called. Foliage in Canadian County is now blazing into brilliant hues of red, orange, and yellow. Pumpkins are ready to harvest by early to mid-autumn, before the first frost. Oh! And pass the pumpkin spice latte and hot cocoa, please.
The Autumnal Equinox, or the Autumn Equinox marks the official first day of the autumn season, which fits nicely between summer and winter. It occurs when the sun passes the equator moving from the northern to the southern hemisphere. The North Pole begins to tilt away from the sun. For our part of the planet, days start getting shorter and the weather gets chillier.
With all these changes, the leaves begin to change their colors because the length of daylight is shorter and the temperatures fall. As a result, the chlorophyll breaks down and the green colors in leaves disappear. Then the leaves begin to fall off the trees. Thus we often call this time of year “fall.”
“The Old Farmer’s Almanac,” founded in 1792, predicts that in Oklahoma and Texas, from October 7 through 16, the weather will be sunny and warm. From October 17 through 25, parts of the area will have thunderstorms, sunny days, and warm days. From October 26 through 31, areas will have showers and warm days. October’s temperatures will be 3 degrees above average, and precipitation will be 2 inches below average.
The almanac also forecasts that in Oklahoma and Texas, November 1 through 6 will see sunny days with weather turning colder. From November 7 through 11, days will be sunny and warm. From November 12 through 18, areas will have rain, sunny days, and also cold temperatures. From November 19 through 22, areas will have snow, rain, sunny days, and cold temperatures. From November 23 through 30, areas will have showers. November’s temperatures will be 10 degrees above average, and precipitation will be 1 inch below average.
In other words, be prepared for whatever weather you may encounter on any given day and at any given time in October and November.
The first day of winter this year will occur on December 21.
Then it’s time to officially bring out those woolly socks, turtlenecks, and afghans.
