Severe Thunderstorms in the Central Plains; Heavy Rainfall in the Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys; Critical Fire Weather in the Southwest

Scattered severe storms capable of large to very large hail, severe wind gusts, and a few tornadoes will be possible across the central Plains. Heavy rain will pose a flash flood threat across portions of the Mississippi Valley into the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys. Hot, dry and windy conditions will continue to bring a critical fire weather threat from the Southwest into the Great Basin. Read More >

The Autumnal Equinox occurred early this morning (Wednesday, September 23, 2015) at 3:21 AM CDT. This was the start of astronomical fall in the Northern Hemisphere, as the sun's rays were directly overhead on the equator. Interesting tidbit, the word "equinox" is derived from two Latin words - aequus (meaning "equal") and nox (meaning "night").

On the two equinoxes (fall and spring), the length of day and night are nearly equal. 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. The days will continue to slowly get shorter over the next couple of months, as the direct rays of the sun move slowly southward.

Earth's orbit around the sun

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NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI

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Severe Thunderstorms in the Central Plains; Heavy Rainfall in the Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys; Critical Fire Weather in the Southwest

Autumnal Equinox Occurred Early This Morning