When is the first day of fall? Here’s when the autumnal equinox is, what it means

It may still be sweltering in Florida, but the official first day of fall is right around the corner! The autumnal equinox falls in September every year and marks the official start of the fall season.

Here’s when the first day of fall is, the difference between solstices and equinoxes , when they happen and what they mean.

When is the first day of fall?

There are two equinoxes and two solstices each year. Equinoxes occur during the fall and spring and are called the autumnal and vernal equinoxes. They mark the first official day of spring and the first official day of fall each year.

The summer solstice was on a Thursday this year, on June 20 at 4:51 p.m. EDT. And the autumnal equinox is right around the corner, on Sunday, September 22 at 8:44 A.M. EDT, according to The Farmers' Almanac.

The meteorological end of summer is Labor Day, which leads into the fall months.

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What is the difference between solstice and equinox?

Solstices occur during the winter and summer and mark the shortest and longest days of the year, respectively. The summer solstice is considered the first day of summer and the winter solstice is considered the first day of winter.

“The summer solstice occurs at the moment the earth's tilt toward/from the sun is at a maximum. Therefore, on the day of the summer solstice, the sun appears at its highest elevation with a noontime position that changes very little for several days before and after the summer solstice,” according to the National Weather Service.

Equinoxes are the only two times of the year when the earth's axis isn’t tilted toward or away from the sun, which results in a "nearly" equal amount of daylight and darkness at all latitudes, according to the National Weather Service.

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“At the equator, the sun is directly overhead at noon on these two equinoxes,” NWS says. “The ‘nearly’ equal hours of day and night are due to refraction of sunlight or a bending of the light's rays that causes the sun to appear above the horizon when the actual position of the sun is below the horizon.”

Is the first day of fall always the equinox?

Yes, the first official day of fall is always the equinox. But the meteorological end of summer is Labor Day, which is coming up this weekend, on Monday, September 2.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: When is the first day of fall? Here’s when the autumnal equinox is, what it means