Fall color changing earlier than the past two years in Minnesota

Fall leaves are changing color earlier than the past two years in much of Minnesota.

The trend is especially notable up north, where colors are at or near peak sooner than 2018 and 2019 according to comparisons from the Minnesota DNR fall color maps on Sept. 28.

Chilly September

This September has been relatively chilly compared to the last two Septembers in Minnesota. Temperatures are running about 1 to 3 degrees colder than average in much of Minnesota this month.

That’s significantly cooler than last year when temperatures ran 2 to more than 4 degrees warmer than average during September in Minnesota. Most of the Midwest was very warm and wet last September.

The average monthly temperature in the Twin Cities for September 2019 was 4.7 degrees warmer than average. In 2018 the Twin Cities and Duluth were more than 3 degrees warmer than average.

That means this September is running about 4 to 5 degrees colder than the past two Septembers in Minnesota.

Early cold snap

The early cold snap in the second week of September is also driving the quicker color changes this year. Temperatures dipped into the 20s across northern Minnesota several nights between September 8 and 11.

That early September temperature shock accelerated fall color changes this year.

Here’s a look at the overall average dates for the elusive “peak” fall color in Minnesota from the Minnesota DNR.

To my eye this year’s color progression looks fairly similar to the average fall color peak times in Minnesota. But this September is ahead of the past two years, which were unusually warm.