Hoosiers say goodbye to 90s and hello to fall

Summer is apparently going to wring every last degree out of its toasty 2018 stay.

With fall looming for a 9:54 p.m. arrival on Saturday (Sept. 22), another high temperature of more than 90 degrees was registered locally on Thursday.

A high temperature of 91 degrees was officially logged in at 3:43 p.m. Thursday, according to the Greencastle Schools weather station, marking the 38th time central Indiana has cracked the 90-degree mark this summer.

But that streak, like summer itself, is coming to an end.

Friday afternoon is still being targeted for the arrival of a cold front that could mean a break from the heat wave, even though temperatures will likely climb into the mid to upper 80s with heat indices of 90 or more Friday before the front arrives.

The 90-degree stretch of 38 days, while considerably more than the 18-date yearly average of 90-degree days in central Indiana, falls shy of the record 58 times the thermometer cracked 90 in 1983.

History notes that on Sept. 19 in 1983, the high in Indianapolis climbed to 92, marking the 58th and final day that year at or above 90 degrees, the record for most 90-degree or greater days in a year at Indianapolis.

However, fall arrives Saturday, or more specifically, the Northern Hemisphere marks the autumnal equinox at 9:54 p.m. EDT.

It should feel like fall next week as an active pattern seems likely with Indiana transitioning from summer warmth to below-average temperatures. Forecasters are saying there is growing consensus for lows in the 40s late next week into next weekend (Sept. 29-30) -- the coolest air since late April.

Meanwhile, the Climate Prediction Center’s official outlook for the 2018 fall season (September-November) indicates a greater chance of above-normal temperatures and equal chances -- no going out on a limb here -- of above-, near- or below-normal precipitation across central Indiana. At Indianapolis, the average fall temperature is 55.2 degrees, while the average precipitation for autumn is 9.94 inches (including 1.1 inches of snow).

Looking further ahead in 2018, winter officially begins with the Winter Solstice on Friday, Dec. 21, the astronomical first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere.