First Day of Fall 2023
When is the First Day of Fall 2023?
The First Day of Fall 2023 is on
Saturday, September 23, 2023 (in 114 days).
Calendar for 2023
Please note: The dates given on this page are based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which for practical purposes is equivalent to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). While Fall starts and ends at the same moment in time all over the Northern Hemisphere, the date of the First Day of Fall differs from location to location depending on a location's time zone. For more details see the explanations below.
What is the First Day of Fall?

Fall colors
The first day of fall marks the beginning of the
fall season (usually called
autumn outside of North America), one of the four seasons that make up the year.
Astronomical fall vs. meteorological fall
There are various ways to define the start and end dates of fall. The two most commonly used ones are based on the astronomical calendar and the meteorological calendar. Astronomical and meteorological fall start and end on different dates.
Astronomical fall
In the astronomical calendar the start and end dates of fall 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 fall starts at the moment of the
September equinox, which occurs every year between September 21 and 24. Fall 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 fall lasts from the
March equinox (March 19 to 21) to the
June solstice (June 20 to 22).
The start and end dates for fall given on this page are the dates of astronomical fall in the Northern Hemisphere and are based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which for practical purposes is equivalent to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT - the time zone of the United Kingdom). While fall 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 fall 2023 in your area use this
seasons calculator.
Meteorological fall
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 fall. 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 fall 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 fall to use, and different countries adhere to different conventions. Most of North America and Europe use astronomical fall, while Australia and New Zealand use meteorological fall (however, as these countries are in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are opposed and fall 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 fall.
Further reading:
Comparison table: meteorological spring vs. astronomical spring
Dates shown apply to the Northern Hemisphere and are based on UTC (GMT)
When is the First Day of Fall 2024?
The First Day of Fall 2024 is on
Sunday, September 22, 2024 (in 479 days).
Calendar for 2024
Dates for the First Day of Fall from 2018 to 2028
The next occurrence of the First Day of Fall is marked in
red.
When is ...? |
Date |
Day of the week |
Days away |
First Day of Fall 2018 |
September 23, 2018 |
Sunday |
1712 days ago |
First Day of Fall 2019 |
September 23, 2019 |
Monday |
1347 days ago |
First Day of Fall 2020 |
September 22, 2020 |
Tuesday |
982 days ago |
First Day of Fall 2021 |
September 22, 2021 |
Wednesday |
617 days ago |
First Day of Fall 2022 |
September 23, 2022 |
Friday |
251 days ago |
First Day of Fall 2023 |
September 23, 2023 |
Saturday |
in 114 days |
First Day of Fall 2024 |
September 22, 2024 |
Sunday |
in 479 days |
First Day of Fall 2025 |
September 22, 2025 |
Monday |
in 844 days |
First Day of Fall 2026 |
September 23, 2026 |
Wednesday |
in 1210 days |
First Day of Fall 2027 |
September 23, 2027 |
Thursday |
in 1575 days |
First Day of Fall 2028 |
September 22, 2028 |
Friday |
in 1940 days |
Data provided 'as is' without warranty |
Free printable 2023 calendar templates
A selection of downloadable, printable calendar templates for 2023 with US federal holidays, suitable for a variety of applications. Available for Word, Excel and PDF.
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events index