When KC's leaves will finally turn
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Data: Explore Fall; Graphic: Jim Sergent
Don't let the 80° October days fool you. Kansas City's leaves should hit peak color in only a few weeks, according to a map on Explore Fall.
Why it matters: KC's leaves will look like that for only a week or so. Miss the window and you're looking at bare branches until spring.
Zoom in: The map has the metro's leaves hitting their brightest between Nov. 5 and 10.
- That's a few weeks behind the rest of Missouri, where color usually peaks around mid-October. State foresters say central and northern Missouri got enough rain this year to expect strong color.
- It lines up with the Kansas side. The Kansas Forest Service says the northeast corner of the state peaks from late October to early November, and the trees to look for are white oaks and maples.
Zoom out: Fall color is expected across most of the country by mid-October, and it's sweeping south from there.
- On Oct. 16, the brightest color is projected across the northern Rockies, the Upper Midwest and northern New England.
- By Oct. 30, a broad band from the central Rockies to the East Coast should be at or near peak.
- By Nov. 6, much of the northern U.S. will be past peak, with the strongest color shifting south.
Yes, but: Weather could scramble the timeline. A strong El Niño could raise temperatures and delay some peak colors, according to the National Weather Service.
- Drought can mute colors, but the KC area is mostly drought-free right now, so that's one worry you can skip.
State of play: If you've looked out your window lately, you already know most trees are still green.
- The Missouri Department of Conservation's latest KC report says cottonwoods, walnuts and elms are showing the first touches of yellow, and the sunflowers and goldenrods are still going in ditches and plantings.
- Those brown honey locusts you've seen along some streets? That's a webworm outbreak, not fall.
If you go: The Department of Conservation's pick is a drive along Highways 45 and 224, which follow the Missouri River northwest toward Weston and east toward Lexington.
- In town, Loose Park and Cliff Drive both get good color.
- For a view, Weston Bend State Park's overlook is about 40 minutes north.
- If you want to make a day of it, Baldwin City's Maple Leaf Festival is Oct. 17 and 18.
💭 Abbey's thought bubble: Weston at peak is the move. The overlook, then a stop downtown for a drink.
The bottom line: Put down the phone in early November. The trees look better in person than on your feed.