By Coastal Carolina News Staff Writer
Astronomical summer ends today, with September 21 marking the final full day of the season ahead of Tuesday’s autumnal equinox. The equinox brings the balance of daylight and nighttime hours across the Northern Hemisphere and signals the shift toward shorter days and gradually cooler conditions.
This year’s seasonal close arrives alongside a historic turn in the Atlantic basin. The Eastern U.S. hurricane season has already passed its traditional peak, and 2026 continues to break from modern records with no hurricanes forming through mid‑September. Several systems reached tropical‑storm strength, but none intensified further, leaving the season among the quietest observed in decades. Persistent El Niño‑driven wind shear has suppressed development, keeping Accumulated Cyclone Energy far below average and pushing the season downhill as fall approaches.
Across Brunswick and Columbus counties, late‑summer warmth still lingers, but early signs of transition are underway. Morning temperatures ease, coastal breezes strengthen, and daylight shortens as the region moves toward fall.
For many locals, it’s almost that time of year when air conditioners can finally take a break and windows can be opened to let in the first comfortable stretches of seasonal air.
As fall begins, forecasts will emphasize cooler mornings, lower humidity, and continued monitoring of any late‑season systems. Southeastern North Carolina enters one of its most changeable periods of the year, with summer’s influence fading and autumn conditions gradually taking hold.
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