Latest Minnesota DNR Update Shows Fall Color Continues to Progress Nicely

(KNSI) – Large swaths of northern Minnesota are now between 50 and 75% of peak color, with central Minnesota seeing as much as 50% of peak, according to a new release from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Parks and Trails Division Information Officer Sara Berhow tells KNSI Radio if you are driving around, especially through Morrison County and areas just to the north of St. Cloud in Benton and Stearns County, you will see plenty to catch your eye.

She notes peaks come in waves. “You might see really pretty fall color one week, because those maples are that beautiful red color, and then maybe a week later, you see all the yellows from the aspens and the poplar trees.”

The color change is determined by the shortening days, which sends a signal to trees to begin retreating into winter survival mode. Temperatures, rainfall amounts, and summer weather all play a role in when the exact peak hits and how vibrant it is.

Berhow talks about what the best possible scenario is. “We’re more likely to see those really bright, brilliant colors during the fall when the daytime is warm and sunny, but then the nights get cool.”

September has been consistently warmer than normal across Minnesota this year, and that has extended into overnight lows. They have typically been in the low-to-mid 50s around St. Cloud. The best color requires those temps get to between 32 and 45 degrees, on the verge of a light frost.

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