Utah's wet year could mean good fall leaves

Utahns could reap another benefit from the unusually wet year:

• A long fall season of color display!

What's happening: Utah's thirsty trees got a good drink this year, which should mean "a longer period of fall color than we've had in the past," said Monica Traphagan, senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS) in Salt Lake City.

• After record snow this winter, Utah's dry season was cut short with more rain than Salt Lake has seen in any August since 1968, according to NWS data.

Catch up quick: In previous autumns, drought-stressed trees lost their leaves quickly, Traphagan said.

What they're saying: "Given that we've been relatively wet … and the trees are healthier, leaves may hang on longer," Traphagan told Axios.

The intrigue: The color display still depends on September weather — which is a bit of a wild card, according to the NWS Climate Prediction Center's one-month outlook which was released last week.

• Forecasters calculate "equal chances" of a wet, dry or normal September in northern Utah.
• El Niño adds another layer of unpredictability this fall. That typically brings warm, dry weather to our north and wet, cool weather to our south; Salt Lake could go either way or follow normal weather patterns.

Yes, but: It is likely to be warmer than usual, the NWS outlook shows, which could bode well for fall color.

• Warm, sunny days and cool — but not freezing — nights tend to produce the most vibrant colors.

What's next: The popular fall leaf map on SmokyMountains.com shows a smattering of color in the mountains next week, with patchy reds and golds appearing mid-month at lower elevations.

• Mountain colors should ramp up in late September, peaking early next month.
• Most of Southern Utah is predicted to look good in October.

ICYMI: We put together a couple of leaf-peeping guides last year.

• Three Utah drives to see colorful fall leaves
• Three hikes to see autumn leaves in Salt Lake County