Temperatures Will Feel Like Fall Soon For Some; Others Will Have to Wait a While

Linda Lam
Published: September 8,2015

For many, Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer. Depending on where you live temperatures may not remind you of fall for a while, though.
Meteorological fall began Sept. 1 and the autumnal equinox, which marks the astronomical start to fall, occurs Sept. 23, leaving some to wonder when temperatures will really begin to cool down and feel like fall.
Your location will dictate what constitutes as fall temperaturse. To standardize what will feel like fall temperatures for a majority of people, we examine when low temperatures will plummet to 50 degrees and colder.
Below you will find when fall temperatures usually arrive for selected cities across the country, in order of when the cooldown begins.
(MAPS: 10-Day Forecast)

September

The date when selected cities see their average low temperature drop to 50 degrees.

A few cities start to feel like fall even before the autumnal equinox.
There is no surprise that Fargo, North Dakota, is one of the cities that experiences chilly temperatures early in the season. Average low temperatures drop to 50 degrees on Sept. 9, and the average date of the first freeze is Sept. 25.
Burlington, Vermont, another city close to the Canadian border, begins to feel fall in the air in mid-September. Sept.17 is when average low temperatures are 50 degrees, and they continue to plummet from there. Average low temperatures are below 40 degrees by mid-October.
In Denver, the average low temperature reaches 50 degrees Sept. 11 and 45 degrees on Sept. 23. The first low of 50 degrees was recorded on Aug. 18 this year, a little earlier than the date of the average first low temperature of 50 degrees, which is Aug.26.
(MORE: Yes, It Can Snow In September Here)
Minneapolis is another city that starts to feel like fall before the autumnal equinox. Average low temperatures begin to drop to 50 degrees on Sept. 20 and average highs climb only to 70 degrees beginning Sept. 19.
Syracuse, New York, also begins to see average low temperatures sink to 50 degrees Sept. 20. The earliest freeze on record occurred on Sept. 13, 1943, although the average first freeze is usually seen Oct. 15.
Low temperatures start to become reminiscent of autumn in Salt Lake City around the equinox when the average low is around 50 degrees. This is also the time of year when the first low temperature of 40 degrees is experienced.
Even Seattle begins to see cooler conditions by the end of September. The average low is around 50 degrees on Sept. 24 and drops to 45 degrees by Oct. 18.
Chicago sees a dip in temperatures right after the autumnal equinox with low temperatures dropping to 50 degrees on average around Sept. 25. The average high also climbs only to 70 degrees beginning Sept. 27.
(MORE: September Forecast)
Pittsburgh sees lows around 50 degrees beginning Sept. 25. This is also around the same time when the first low of 40 degrees is observed.
A little farther north, Detroit begins to record average low temperatures of 50 degrees on Sept. 26 and average highs of 70 degrees on Sept. 25.
One last city that finds lows drop to 50 degrees before the calendar turns to October is Portland, Oregon. Average lows of 50 degrees begin Sept. 27 and average highs only reach 70 degrees as of Oct. 1.

October

Much of the country really begins to look and feel like fall in October.
One of these cities is Cincinnati, Ohio which sees average low temperatures of 50 degrees on Oct. 2. The usual date of the first 40-degree temperature reading is Oct. 4.
Boston begins to feel the chill of fall with average lows of 50 degrees beginning Oct. 5. An average high of 70 degrees begins Sept. 22 and by Oct. 19 the average high is only 60 degrees. The sun also begins to set before 6 p.m. on Oct. 18.
Closer to Columbus Day is when St. Louis sees average low temperatures drop to 50 degrees and average highs only climb to 70 degrees.
Portions of the South begin to see a cool down in mid-October. Nashville registers average low temperatures of 50 degrees beginning Oct. 13 and by the end of the month the first freeze usually has  been recorded. The sun also begins to set before 6 p.m. on Oct. 26.
(MORE: Fall 2015 Seasonal Outlook)
Raleigh is also one of those southern cities tjat observes average lows drop down to 50 degrees in mid-October. The first low of 40 degrees is also usually seen on Oct. 14.
Mid-October also brings the fall chill to New York City. The average low on Oct. 14 is 50 degrees and by Oct. 27 the average high in the city is only 60 degrees.
Washington, D.C. sees its average low temperatures reach 50 degrees Oct. 16. This is also around the same time when the first low of 40 degrees is measured.
It takes almost to the end of the month for the real feel of fall to hit Atlanta. The average low drops to 50 degrees on Oct. 28 and the average high  reaches only 70 degrees on Oct. 25, on average.

November

Then there are cities that are reluctant to relinquish their mild temperatures.
Dallas is one of these cities. The average low temperature on Nov. 5 reaches 50 degrees and by Nov. 8 the average high is only 70 degrees.
Tallahassee is also another city you would expect would stay warm longer. The average low dips to 50 degrees on Nov. 5, while the first low temperature of 40 degrees is usually recorded on Nov. 1.
Temperatures finally begin to cool in Las Vegas around Nov. 6 when the average low reaches 50 degrees. The earliest freeze on record occurred on Oct. 21, 1949, but the average date of the first 32-degree low is Nov. 24.
Later in November, Los Angeles sees average low temperatures cool to 50 degrees around Nov. 22, but the first occurrence of a low of 50 degrees usually is measured around Oct. 27.
New Orleans is also late to see a cool down. The average low doesn't fall to 50 degrees until Nov. 28, although the first low of 40 degrees is usually seen earlier, around Nov. 13.
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