Imagine waking up on a November morning at 7:08 A.M. Golden sunlight gently rolls through your blinds as you check the Weather app on your phone. You see that the high will be 71 degrees Fahrenheit and know you should dress for the heat but add a nice layer of your favorite cardigan to keep you warm until around midday. The low is 51 degrees.
Now, let’s take that same random November morning at the exact same time. 7:08 A.M. Except, there is no golden sun to kick start your day. You are woken up by a grayish light. The sun is not out, but you can tell it is daytime. You roll over and check the Weather app. The high is 56 degrees Fahrenheit. The low is 46 degrees. You know you’ll need a long sleeve top and a warm jacket to shield you from the sharp coastal winds. You also might want to have a hat on. It’s going to rain soon. 80 percent chance.
This contrast sums up what waking up during the fall looks like in Mississippi right now versus how it currently looks in Massachusetts. I’m writing this on November 7, 2026, and it’s almost midnight here. The last few days have been exactly as described. However, do not be deceived: Massachusetts has beautiful fall weather 99 percent of the time. Right now, it is in that stage where it is fluctuating. We had a 71 degree day last week, which was shocking. Unfortunately, the pop-up warmer days are drawing nigh, and the colder temperatures are settling in for good now. I will say that the back and forth between the warmer and cooler days last week reminded me of Mississippi.
Down South, the fall months are a very, very slow release. As we know, the weather doesn’t begin to cool down until later on in November. And by cooling down, I mean there are no longer consistent days of weather in the upper 90s to lower 100s. Meanwhile, here on the East Coast the temperatures begin to drop around mid-September. By October, there is a full canopy of yellow, orange, red and brown leaves in every park, and as November passes on by, the leaves begin falling to brace for the brutally cold winter.
Mississippi’s falls are undoubtedly unique, not only because of the warm temperatures but the fact that you may still see some summer festivities happening in the middle of November. It is not uncommon to see (or smell) someone having a barbecue nearby with family and friends gathered around for a plate on a random day. It’s not uncommon to see shorts and a pair of flip flops. And it certainly isn’t uncommon to enjoy a sweating glass of ice cold sweet tea as you relax on your front porch. So much of summer bleeds right into the fall in Mississippi. Yet, as the last traces of summer fade into the background, fall fun is just beginning. From pumpkin patches to Thanksgiving preparations, Mississippi falls are truly something to witness.
Both Mississippi and Massachusetts have their own unique fall charm. Massachusetts can certainly pull off a beautiful traditional fall scene that looks like it was plucked straight from a movie, but falls in Mississippi has a sweetness that (while I’ve tried my darndest to) simply cannot be replicated in Massachusetts (or anywhere else). As I prepare to pull my boots out for the next few months bundle myself up to scurry through the streets of Boston, Mississippians, I ask that you enjoy the rest of our unique fall season enough for me.
