Good news! It’s going to be nice and warm this week for just about everyone who should shiver come November. I mean, since we just had to set the clocks back in some dumb ritual we perform simply because it’s a dumb ritual, we should at least get something nice in return, right?

Fall is getting off to a slow start this year. It gets cool for a couple of days, then it warms right back up (not that that’s a bad thing!). As the cool days outnumber the warm, though, you’ll begin to notice a lot more noise at night and in the morning, and it’s all thanks to the weather.

If it seems a little warmer than it should for the second week in October, you’re not going out of your mind (okay, well maybe not for this reason). It’s been warmer than normal for most of the country, and we’ll stay that way for the next couple of weeks. The abnormal warmth is doing more than just keeping us from shivering—it’s also keeping the trees from changing colors.

Today is the first day of astronomical fall. The days are growing noticeably shorter, the leaves are already changing, and the morning air is crisp and energizing. It’s the most wonderful time of the year (only for some of us!), so naturally, summer has to linger and screw it up. Most of the United States will see warmer-than-normal temperatures for the next week or two thanks to a jet stream that’s stuck in heat mode.

Most of the time when you see a post here on The Vane, it’s about some horrible weather event somewhere that killed lots of people and destroyed most of their belongings. I have good news for once! We’re about to have an exceptionally nice weekend across the eastern United States, featuring crisp temperatures and mostly clear skies. Such a universally nice weekend is rare, so enjoy it while you can.

Today is the last day of meteorological summer, and it’s been a long, boring three months. Save for a couple of tropical storms and a derecho or two, there weren’t many weather events that commanded attention. The big story has been the heat and humidity, and that’s what will continue through the first half of September.

As the days grow shorter and the weather turns colder, many people think they're in the clear and safe from tornadoes. However, the changing weather specifically makes us more vulnerable to tornadoes. Today's severe weather is a hard reminder that we're in the second peak of tornado season.

Forget everything you hear and read about today's astronomical significance, as today is not the first day of fall. Today marks the autumnal equinox. Fall began three weeks ago, and any other opinion is wrong.

So long, summer 2014; we hardly knew you. It looks like tomorrow might be the last day of thermometer summer for much of the eastern United States. A cold front marching eastward will bring with it a line of storms followed by a long stretch of blissful autumnal crispness. Hallelujah.