Autumn 2020

When is Autumn 2020?

What is Autumn?

Autumn, usually called fall in North America, is one of the four seasons that make up the year. It is the intervening period between the warmest time of the year, summer, and the coldest time of the year, winter.

Astronomical autumn vs. meteorological autumn

There are various ways to define the start and end dates of autumn. The two most commonly used ones are based on the astronomical calendar and the meteorological calendar. Astronomical and meteorological autumn start and end on different dates.

Astronomical autumn

In the astronomical calendar the start and end dates of autumn are based on the changing position of Earth in relation to the sun and the resulting solar events of equinoxes and solstices. In the Northern Hemisphere summer ends and autumn starts at the moment of the September equinox, which occurs every year on September 21 to 23. Autumn ends and winter starts at the moment of the December solstice, which occurs every year between December 20 and December 23. In the Southern Hemisphere autumn lasts from the March equinox (March 19 to 21) to the June solstice (June 20 to 22).

The start and end dates for autumn given on this page are the dates of astronomical autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and are based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which for practical purposes is equivalent to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). While autumn starts and ends at the same moment in time all over the Northern Hemisphere, the date and local time differ from place to place depending on the year and a location's time zone. For locations that are ahead of UTC (further east) it may fall on the day after, and for locations that are behind UTC (further west) it may fall on the day before. To find out the exact date and time of autumn 2020 in your area use this seasons calculator.

Meteorological autumn

Meteorologists, on the other hand, define seasons based on climatic conditions and the annual temperature cycle. It is important for them to be able to compare the same period of time in different years. The length of the astronomical seasons varies between 89 and 93 days, while the length of the meteorological seasons is less variable and is fixed at 90 days for winter in a non-leap year (91 days in a leap year), 92 days for spring and summer, and 91 days for autumn. While the exact definition of a season's timing and length can differ in different areas based on local conditions, in most of the Northern Hemisphere meteorological autumn is generally defined as the three months of September, October and November, with the season starting on September 1 and ending on November 30.

There is no "official rule" which definition of autumn to use, and different countries adhere to different conventions. Most of North America and Europe use astronomical autumn, while Australia and New Zealand use meteorological autumn (however, as these countries are in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are opposed and autumn there lasts from March to May). In other cultures, eg. in the traditional Chinese calendar and in Celtic traditions, the September equinox is considered to be roughly the middle of autumn.

Comparison table: astronomical autumn vs. meteorological autumn

Dates shown apply to the Northern Hemisphere

Season	Start		End
	Meteorological	Astronomical	Meteorological	Astronomical
Spring	March 1	spring equinox March 19 to 21	May 31	summer solstice June 20 to 22
Summer	June 1	summer solstice June 20 to 22	August 31	autumnal equinox September 21 to 23
Autumn	September 1	autumnal equinox September 21 to 23	November 30	winter solstice December 20 to 23
Winter	December 1	winter solstice December 20 to 23	February 28 (29)	spring equinox March 19 to 21

For more information see Autumn on Wikipedia.

When is Autumn 2021?

Dates for Autumn from 2015 to 2025

The next occurrence of Autumn is marked in red.

Year	Autumn starts on	Autumn ends on
Autumn 2015	Wednesday, September 23, 2015	Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Autumn 2016	Thursday, September 22, 2016	Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Autumn 2017	Friday, September 22, 2017	Thursday, December 21, 2017
Autumn 2018	Sunday, September 23, 2018	Friday, December 21, 2018
Autumn 2019	Monday, September 23, 2019	Sunday, December 22, 2019
Autumn 2020	Tuesday, September 22, 2020	Monday, December 21, 2020
Autumn 2021	Wednesday, September 22, 2021	Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Autumn 2022	Friday, September 23, 2022	Wednesday, December 21, 2022
Autumn 2023	Saturday, September 23, 2023	Friday, December 22, 2023
Autumn 2024	Sunday, September 22, 2024	Saturday, December 21, 2024
Autumn 2025	Monday, September 22, 2025	Sunday, December 21, 2025
Data provided 'as is' without warranty

Dates of Autumn 2020 and surrounding years as downloadable image file

Calendar templates 2020 for Word, Excel & PDF

2020 calendar as templates for Word, Excel & PDF A selection of calendar templates for 2020 in landscape and portrait orientation and with US federal holidays, suitable for a variety of applications. 2020 calendar templates for Word 2020 calendar templates for Excel 2020 calendar templates for PDF

Christian (and related) Advent Advent Sunday All Saints' Day All Souls' Day Ascension Day Ash Wednesday Black Saturday Boxing Day Bright Saturday Bright Week Candlemas Christmas Christmas Day Christmas Eve Christmastide Corpus Christi Easter Easter Day Easter Eve Easter Friday Easter Monday Easter Saturday Easter Sunday Eastertide Easter Week Easter Weekend Epiphany Epiphany Eve Fat Tuesday First day of Lent Good Friday Halloween Holy Friday Holy Saturday Holy Thursday Holy Week Jesus' Birthday Lazarus Saturday Lent Mardi Gras Maundy Thursday Orthodox Easter Palm Sunday Pancake Day Pancake Tuesday Pascha Pentecost Pentecost Sunday Pentecost Monday Shrove Monday Shrove Tuesday St. Andrew's Day St. David's Day St. George's Day St. Patrick's Day St. Stephen's Day Theophany Three Kings Day Trinity Sunday Twelve Days of Christmas Twelfth Night Whit Sunday Whit Monday

US federal holidays New Year's Day Martin Luther King Day Presidents' Day     (Washington's Birthday) Memorial Day Independence Day Labor Day Columbus Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day Australian holidays ANZAC Day The seasons Spring Vernal equinox (spring equinox, March equinox) Summer Summer solstice (June solstice) Autumn / Fall Autumnal equinox (fall equinox, September equinox) Winter Winter solstice (December solstice)

Other days April Fools Day Armed Forces Day Cinco de Mayo Constitution Day Daylight Saving Time Day of the Dead Día de los Muertos Earth Day Father's Day Flag Day Halloween Indigenous Peoples' Day International Women's Day Mother's Day Native American Day New Year's Day New Year's Eve Star Wars Day Samhain Summer time Teacher Appreciation Day Teacher Appreciation Week Valentine's Day World Environment Day World Teachers' Day

Mistake found in a calendar, questions, commercial use...? Contact us


If this site helps you please consider a donation to a charity of your choice: