With the summer we’ve had, people are more likely to greet the falling leaves with relief than sadness.
At 12:09 this morning, summer officially ended with the autumnal equinox.
The record-breaking heat wave at the end of August and into September sent summer out with a bang this year.
“It was above normal in terms of the temperature, there’s no doubt about that,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Bob Robichaud.
July, August and September so far are all one degree above normal, he added.
“The normals are certainly warmer than the average, but I don’t have any hard figures to suggest this is approaching the warmest summer (on record). It doesn’t look like it.”
And so far, fall is off to a warm start: Today’s temperatures are expected to reach a sunny 19 C.
Long-term models suggest September, October and November will keep up with the trend of above-normal temperatures, Robichaud said.
“In terms of the precipitation, it looks like it’s right around average for this period,” he said.
A slight nudge in temperature won’t keep the leaves on the trees any longer than usual, Robichaud said.
“It’s more a question of wind,” he said. “But the leaves changing colour has to do with the amount of sunlight that’s available and that’s usually constant because that has to do with our alignment with the planets.”
