September 22nd is the first day of fall.

While our summer may have ended almost a month ago in the golden sunlight and buzzing cicadas of August, and the Pumpkin Spice Latte has been out since the beginning of September, fall, believe it or not, has only just begun.

The autumn equinox falls this year on September 22nd, precisely at 9:21 CT; and from this day on, the Earth will begin to tilt further and further away from the Sun. In fact, that is the reason for the season itself, and the inevitable coming of winter: as the Earth tilts, the sun will begin to sink lower into the sky at midday, set earlier, and rise later. In Chicago, the sun actually sets 2 minutes and 47 seconds earlier every day up to the winter solstice in late December. The steep angle at which our hemisphere receives the sun’s rays also accounts for the colder weather of fall and winter.

While the prospect of frigid winds and mornings when you eat breakfast in the dark seems unappealing, fall still has may perks. As the temperature drops, we can bust out the large, comfy sweaters; at Hansa or Starbucks, warm our hands with hot lattes and mochas instead of iced, and we can walk through woods of orange and yellow and feel the brisk wind nip at our nose. Who doesn’t love fall?

So while the first day of fall will feel a lot more like summer than autumn, with a high at 86 degrees and a staggering 91% humidity, keep the golden sunlight, cool winds, and colorful foliage of fall in mind. Happy fall, everyone!