What Months Are In Fall ((top)) May 2026

Most national weather services (including NOAA in the U.S. and the Met Office in the U.K.) use this definition. If you check a long-term climate report, fall always means September through November. Then there’s the way people actually live the seasons. Cultural fall often ignores both equinoxes and meteorological convenience.

For everyday conversation in North America and Europe, if you say “fall” or “autumn,” most people will assume . That’s the meteorological standard, and it has become the de facto common answer. The astronomical definition feels too awkward (December as fall?) and the cultural one too vague. what months are in fall

| Definition | Northern Hemisphere | Southern Hemisphere | |------------|--------------------|--------------------| | Astronomical | Late Sept to late Dec | Late March to late June | | Meteorological | Sept, Oct, Nov | March, April, May | | Cultural (U.S.) | Sept through Nov | (varies by region) | | Phenological | When leaves turn and air chills | When leaves turn and air chills | Most national weather services (including NOAA in the U

The question, “What months are in fall?” seems elementary. But beneath it lies a fascinating collision of astronomy, meteorology, culture, and even commerce. The answer depends entirely on whom you ask—and where they live. In the Northern Hemisphere, the most traditional answer comes from the sky. Astronomers define seasons by the Earth’s 23.5-degree tilt and its orbit around the sun. Fall, in this view, begins with the autumnal equinox —the precise moment the sun crosses the celestial equator, heading south. Then there’s the way people actually live the seasons