RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The fall equinox officially arrives at 2:49 a.m. this coming Saturday morning (but who’s counting?) It’s the official start of some permanently cooler temperatures! Well, we hope it is.
Over the past 5 decades or so, the average temperature at RDU has increased by over two and a half degrees during the fall months (September, October, and November.)
The average temperature increase naturally comes with more warmer days. We used to see an average of around 38 above-average days each fall. But now, that number is closer to 50 on average. That means over half (54%) of the days during the fall months are now above average.
Across the rest of the country, the Carolinas and the Mid-Atlantic are actually on the lower end of the change. Around and west of the Rockies, they’re seeing the most drastic change. Las Vegas’s average temperature during the fall has jumped more than six degrees over the past 52 years.
A longer and warmer fall means an extended and more robust allergy season, plus more of those pesky mosquitos.
Both of those impacts, plus several others, are directly correlated to a warming world.
