Fall color should be poppin' in the Twin Cities in 2023
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Wednesday's plummeting temperatures are a good reminder that fall is right around the corner and that means it's almost time for leaf peeping.
Why it matters: Fall has been delightful the last few years, with comfortable temperatures stretching into Halloween. A blazing tree canopy is a big reason so many of us are autumn lovers.
What they're saying: A third consecutive year of drought could mean another autumn with strong color, Erin Buchholz, plant health specialist at the Minnesota Arboretum, told Axios.
- "It has been widely accepted in the horticultural landscape community that during drought years, you're going to get really brilliant fall colors."
What to watch: You can expect to start seeing colors turn in the next week or two, Buchholz said.
Yes, but: How long they last depends on how early we get frost or freeze, as well as extreme weather.
- "If we get a short color season, it usually has to do with localized weather events like a storm or extreme wind gusts," Buchholz said. "Once you hit that peak fall color, if you get a 35-mile-an-hour wind gust or sustained winds above 20 miles per hour, the leaves are pretty much going to be gone."
Zoom out: Using historical weather reports, tree species info, and user data, travel brand SmokyMountains.com put together 2023 foliage prediction maps of the U.S.
- It predicts peak fall color in the Twin Cities around Oct. 23.