Fall color peaking later than average in the Twin Cities

Our supersized summer of 2023 has pushed our annual fall color show back a bit.

Monday’s Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fall color update shows about 25 to 50 percent of color in the landscape around the Twin Cities area. Colors are at or past peak across much of northern Minnesota.

A warm summer lingering into September and hot temperatures in early October have delayed the vibrant hues in the Twin Cities this year. Consider these warm weather factors:

• 5th warmest summer on record in the Twin Cities

• 33 days of 90 degrees or higher (5th highest number on record)

• 101 days of 80 degrees or higher (highest number on record)

• Warmest September on record at 69.1 degrees (5.6 degrees above average)

• 92 degrees on Oct. 1 (hottest October temperature on record and so late in the year)

All that summer heat lingering into October has delayed the annual fall color show by at least a week. The fall color peak in the Twin Cities typically runs between late September and mid-October according to the Minnesota DNR.

So enjoy the show during the next two weeks. It’s been more like a Des Moines summer and Kansas City fall color show in the Twin Cities this year.