When Does Fall Start in Texas?

If you’re planning a trip to Texas and you’ve been advised to avoid the summer, chances are you’re looking to make it a fall trip. So when does fall start in Texas?

Fall starts here on September 22 (also called the Autumnal Equinox) according to astronomical seasons, whereas according to meteorological seasons, fall starts in Texas on September 1.

When Does Fall Start in Texas?

The day that marks the start of fall in Texas depends on how you categorize the seasons. If you’re asking about the astronomical fall season, it starts on the 22nd of September. If you’re asking about the meteorological fall season, it starts in Texas on the 1st of September.

If you’re not familiar with such season categorization methods, you’re about to be. Generally, you should know that there are two types of seasons: astronomical and meteorological.

As a result, there’s astronomical fall and meteorological fall, astronomical winter and meteorological winter, and so on for every season.

Astronomical Season

Astronomical seasons are determined based on the position of our planet with respect to the sun. The dates calculated for astronomical seasons are the ones that appear on calendars, notebooks, and so on.

The astronomical fall in Texas started on September 22, the same day as the entire Northern Hemisphere. This is also known as the Autumnal Equinox, when the sun is directly positioned above the equator, resulting in equal amounts of daylight and darkness.

Similarly, the rest of the seasons in Texas will astronomically start as follows:

• Winter: December 21.
• Spring: March 20.
• Summer: June 20.

Meteorological Season

On the other hand, there are meteorological seasons. This method determines the beginning and end of seasons based on the annual temperature cycle and the regular calendar.

Consequently, record-keeping is more suitable via meteorological seasons.

Not to mention, seasons here are defined by full months instead of the last third of months like in the astronomical calendar.

For example, meteorological fall starts on September 1, includes September, October, and November, and ends on November 30.

Similarly, here are the dates for the rest of the meteorological seasons:

What Is the Weather Like in Fall in Texas?

The weather in Texas in the fall is pleasant as summer heat goes down and the chances of rain are less than in winter. Texas is generally a mild-temperature season and a great time to visit the Lone Star State.

Temperature

In Texas state, fall comes with overall mild temperatures.

• The daily high temperatures fall by around 30 degrees F, ranging between 95 degrees F to 60 degrees F. They rarely reach beyond 99 degrees F or decrease below 55 degrees F.

• The daily low temperatures also fall by around 30 degrees F, ranging between 75 degrees F to 45 degrees F. They rarely reach beyond 80 degrees F or fall below 35 degrees F.

For reference, the temperatures in Austin on the hottest day of the year, August 6, usually range between 75 degrees F and 98 degrees F.

On the coldest day of the year, January 6, the temperatures in Austin typically fall between 42 degrees F to 60 degrees F.

Sun

During the fall in Texas, the length of the day drops very quickly.

Comparing the beginning of the season to its end, the length of the day decreases by around 2 hours and 30 minutes. This translates into an average daily reduction of about a minute and a half.

September 1 is the longest day of the fall, lasting around 12 hours and 45 minutes. November 30 is the shortest fall day, lasting around 10 hours and 20 minutes in daylight.

Here are some interesting facts about the sunrise and sunset times in Austin:

• The latest sunrise of the fall is on November 5 at 7:48 AM.
• The earliest sunrise is November 6 at 6:49 AM, almost an hour earlier.
• The latest sunset is on September 1 at 7:53 PM.
• The earliest sunset is on November 30 at 5:30 PM, nearly two and a half hours earlier.

Clouds

Here, the fall features a constant but not very dense cloud cover.

Generally, the sky is mostly cloudy or overcast during the season, around 30 to 35 percent of the time.

October 10 is typically the clearest fall day, recording the lowest chance of mostly cloudy or overcast and the highest chance of clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy.

Let’s take Austin, for example, again. The cloudiest day of the year is January 3, when the chance of mostly cloudy or overcast conditions is 45 percent.

On the other hand, the clearest day of the year, June 13, has a 72 percent chance of clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy conditions.

When Does Fall Start in Texas? FAQs

References;

• There are two types of seasons, astronomical and meteorological: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/meteorological-versus-astronomical-seasons
• The latest sunrise of the fall is on November 5 at 7:48 AM: https://weatherspark.com/s/8004/2/Average-Fall-Weather-in-Austin-Texas-United-States