OK. Thanks so much for joining us here.
On 90s plus, I'm Meteoros,
Crispianchi and that time of yer
to look ahead at the fall color,
what it might look like when the
peak dates might be and also maa
bit of overall outlook in terms of how
those fall colors might end up looking.
Now from a broad perspective,
before we kind of get into some of those
maps that we're going to show you here,
I think it's really important to note
and maybe a big misconception about fall
colors is that the weather climate has.
I think, I think there's a bit f
a misperception about how big of
an influence climate has on it.
Because remember the reason that
the leaves change the colors ane
overall kind of broad process o,
it it, it has to do with the amount of
sunlight that they're seeing pey
or that they're feeling essenti.
So for example,
when a leaf or a tree is getting
15 hours of sunlight a day,
that is the instinctual reason r
those leaves to create photosynthesis,
which turns them green.
And then it's that lack of sunlt
that ultimately turns them yellw
and red and eventually allows te
leaves to fall on off.
So remember, it's the sunlight.
It's not necessarily.
It's not like leaves have thermometers
on them and are cued to fall off
when it drops below 50 degrees,
for example,
or when they feel necessarily a snowflake.
It's again,
it is sunlight that is what mats
first and foremost.
So kind of want to explain that
before we get into everything ee
because that is what leads to t.
I'm speaking about this my colleague,
meteorologist Corey Repenhagen.
The dates of fall foliage,
they rarely vary by more than
say three or four days.
So when we're talking about
these peak Aspen colors,
this is a pretty good timeline and there
are certainly impacts from clim,
from weather, we'll get into th.
But when we're talking about
those peak dates,
the ones that you're looking ate
on your screen, these are going to be,
I mean, without a shadow,
without much of A shadow of a d.
Again,
in the maybe most extreme scena,
this might be altered by two or three days,
but you know,
maybe in a weird year it might t
say September 13th or 14th in te
northern mountains for the peak,
and in other years maybe it's
a little bit later.
But again, these dates,
you can basically take them to
the bank again here in Colorado.
The Aspen leaves,
which are the so famous ones
for those fall colors,
they rarely vary by more than
a couple of days.
They're very,
very consistent on the East Coa.
The maples and lot of those trees out there,
they can be a bit more variable.
But when we're talking about the
Aspen trees here in the mountai,
these dates are pretty much ironclad,
or about as ironclad as can be.
Again, there's always some variation,
but it's not more than a couple of days.
So when we're talking about
the northern mountains,
those peak dates tend to be in e
middle to end part of September,
Usually a third,
fourth week of September is a good bet.
The central mountains,
especially once you start getting South
of I-70 and getting into the West Elks,
that's to watch the Collegiate Peaks,
even the wet mountains,
those peak dates tend to be more
maybe the first weekend of Octo,
last weekend of September.
And then once you're getting
to the same wands,
the singer Christo's as well as on east into,
yeah, I should say really the
wet mountains out there as well.
Those peak dates tend to be the first
or second week of the month of October.
So again, that first,
second week of October is often
the peak for those mountains.
The further South you go,
but varies from north to South.
And again that has to do with the amount
of sunlight that those leaves are receding.
It is not due to the climate's
not due to the temperature,
it is due to the climate.
So with that said,
in terms of the overall outlook for things,
I would say that most of the state and most
of the leaves near us here in Colorado,
we're probably looking at a near
average season in terms of colon
terms of the length of the peak.
Now going back to this previous
map for a quick second,
the exact length of the peak,
that can vary based on the clim.
So if we're in a drought,
for example,
the peak of those fall leaves,
that can be reduced to say 9 or0
days as opposed to maybe closer
to the two weeks when we've got
a better precipitation season.
So that's why going over to thi,
why I think the Southwestern mountains,
we might have a bit of a shorter
peak because it's been a very dy
summer for our friends in the Sn
Juans and the Sanger Christos.
And this is the part of the stae
that just hasn't seen a whole lf
monsoonal moisture and that's wy
I think we may see just, you kn,
I'm, I'm a little timid to say,
even diminished,
you're still going to get a gret
show out there in San Juan.
So don't cancel those trips,
don't adjust your plans because
of this orange color then puttig
there in the Southwestern mount,
it just means that you may get,
I don't know again 1011 days of
peak as opposed to 1314 days.
So that's what we're talking about the,
the differences are going to be pretty minor.
Most of you will not notice it.
Overall, again,
we should have a decent show ana
decent amount of fall colors and
we'll get into some of those nearterm
weather things that we look for.
But overall, I would say
from a longterm perspective,
I think we have a pretty decent
season for us along the north b0
and a lot of the near mountains.
That's where we've just had a l.
We've obviously had a lot of ra,
a lot of snow and we've had faiy
cool nights of late as well and
that will all contribute to makg
it a fairly nice season for us.
I think in terms of those fall
colors along the north by 70s
falls down to the near mountain.
Now precipitation so far this y,
those red colors,
the kind of the and those pinks
that's in the cane where just hd
a ton of water and this these
are precipitation anomalies.
So the green that's where we're
a little drier than average.
So that's the kind of main thing we're
watching for is the moisture bee
again that's what the trees use as nutrition.
As you've got less nutrition,
obviously the fall leaves may
have a shorter peak.
But again,
in terms of the overall colors d
overall things that we look for,
I think we're looking at a
fairly decent season overall.
A couple of things come and
explained on camera here as we
kind of ran ran things on it.
So again,
maybe some of those misperceptis
about the fall colors that I thk
people think that weather and
climate have more to do with the
fall colors than they actually .
That said,
when it comes to those impacts
from weather and climate,
it tends to be highest in the near term.
So it's really the late last wek
of August and the first week
or two of September.
The weather then is the most
important factor what we look f.
And I'm basing this off of interviews
with arborists as well as our
meteorologist Corey Rep and Hag,
who's done a lot of interviews
with arborists over the years
about how this works when we
get cool nights and warm days.
So ideally what you're looking r
in the last week of August and
the 1st and 2nd week of Septemb,
you're looking for cool days,
cool nights with low temperaturn
the 30s and highs in the 60s, maybe low 70s.
So not too hot, not too cold.
You don't want those temperaturs
drop down in the teens and 20s.
It starts to freeze off those
trees a little bit early and kid
of reduces the peak,
but you want it to be nice and l
and kind of crisp at night and u
want about average precipitation as well.
So you probably want a rainy sth
at some point in there were a sm
or two in there to kind of keep
those trees fairly replenished n
terms of precipitation and moisture as well.
Again,
that's the nutrition those trees thrive off.
So again,
top line takeaways long north of I-70,
pretty good season probably shaping on up.
That will depend again based
on what we see here
in the end of August and beginning of
September in terms of that weather and we're
looking for about average precipitation,
not too much, not too little.
And we want also those cool nigs
and warm but not too hot days.
So we got sixties 70s during the day,
30s at night, and you couple tht
with near average precipitation,
we should have a pretty good
show for us in the high country,
maybe a slightly longer peak thn
usual along the north of I-70.
And then you get into the San J.
Again, a little timid to say th,
but you want a we may be looking
at a slightly diminished peak or
shorter peak for us in the San n
Mountains and the singer Christ.
Again, that is just owing to a
very dry summer out that way.
We obviously had a very good wi.
So I don't think that's going to
really affect things all that m,
if at all.
But I would just maybe look outr
maybe a slightly shorter peak in there.
But still again if you're planng
on making the trip to the San
Juans in mid-october or to the
Amper Valley in mid-september,
mid to late September for
that peak fall color.
I think you're going to get a
great show wherever you go in te
state just based off those maps.
I was just showing you in terms
of the timing because the timing
of that is often pretty pinpoin.
I'm not saying that to brag,
that's not me doing it.
That's Mother Nature and the
Aspen trees that are very,
very predictable when it comes o
when those peak fall colors will show.
So hopefully it gives you a good
idea about what to expect as wed
into the peak fall color season.
Once again I'm 90s me dollars crispy on can.
Thanks for joining us here at 90s Plus.