Five things to know heading into the fall season for the Maritimes

Signs of an early start to the change for some of the foliage in Inverness, Cape Breton. (Courtesy: Francis MacDonald)

The autumnal equinox will be at 9:43 a.m. ADT on Saturday, Sept. 22. Most take that as the official start of fall. The meteorological start of fall, for statistical purposes, is taken as Sept. 1.

Daylight saving time ends on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 2 a.m. local time. It’s a great time to check or change batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors if needed.

The start of fall, end of daylight saving time, and end of the hurricane season all ahead the next two months. (Source: CTV News Atlantic)

Fall foliage

You can’t talk about the fall season without mentioning the amazing display of colour in the Maritimes. The typical peak for the fall colours in the region is late-September through mid-October.

There can be some variation dependent on overall weather conditions. I have had some reports from some areas of signs of an earlier change this year, possibly due in part to some extended stretches of dry weather in the month of August. Dry weather can stress trees, leading to an earlier change.

First frosts

Average dates of first frost for northern and central areas of New Brunswick are typically early-to-mid September. The same is true for interior areas of eastern mainland Nova Scotia and the Cape Breton Highlands. For the rest of the region – including southern New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – first frost happens late-September to mid-October.

Environment Canada only issues Frost Advisories up until the end of the growing season.

Average dates of first frost in the Maritimes. (Source: CTV News Atlantic)

Hurricane season peaks and ends

The Atlantic hurricane season peaks this month. The season ends on Nov. 30.

Despite predictions of a very active hurricane season, it has so far turned out to be lower than average. A number of reasons are being explored for this, including the presence of more Saharan dust over the Atlantic, a windier environment over the Atlantic than expected, and a more northerly position of the African monsoon.

The peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is typically in the month of September. The season ends on Nov. 30. (Source: CTV News Atlantic)

Season predictions for temperature and precipitation

There is a strong consensus for above normal temperatures for the period of September through November in the Maritimes. According to the Canada Changing Climate Report published in 2019, summer and autumn have seen the greatest temperature increase in Atlantic Canada.

Predictions for precipitation for September through November vary from near-to-below normal. There is typically less confidence in the prediction for seasonal precipitation compared to seasonal temperature.

For the provincial capitals, on average, the first five centimetres snowfall occurs in the month of November.

Seasonal predictions for the Maritimes by Environment Canada are for above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation. (Source: CTV News Atlantic)