If you’re from the likes of Portland or Seattle, September is already full swing in the quintessential images of fall. Things don’t work quite like that here in Walla Walla. September in good ole W^2 means 90 degree days, 50 degree nights and green leaves that persist until the aches of autumn become too much for their verdin. But that doesn’t mean fall can’t start at the same time as the rest of the PNW! You just have to know these 5 signs:

1. During your first quiz last week, did people inexplicably have the sniffles (not related to the current wave of COVID)? Did a few people incessantly clear their throat through the entire 90 minutes of silence? This is one sure sign the seasons are changing.
2. Are your classes about 0.25 more or less people than what they were on the original day? That add and drop period is over, so this should be the roster for the rest of the semester — that steady rhythm is another sign of the times.
3. Did you make a friend on your first day on campus? Can you not remember the last time you saw them? Are you questioning whether or not they really existed or were just a figment of your imagination conjured by social desperation? This is another sign summer is coming to an end. 
4. Closely related; are those first week first year couples starting to have cracks in their relationships? Is it really true the faster you fall the faster you land? These questions may come up as summer whistles its final tune. 
5. The final and surest sign: are you feeling lost in time? When you look at a calendar do you recognize that it’s September but have no idea what that actually means? Disconnection from time may be the biggest sign that school is in full swing and autumn is falling.

Though Walla Walla may not provide the clearest signs of the autumnal equinox, people reveal seasonal changes in their own special way. And if those 5 signs are still not enough for you, haul your ass to Starbucks and get a pumpkin spice latte.