Let the hues begin: Fall foliage colors coming to Minnesota in 3, 2, 1 ...

This month, northwest Minnesota will take the lead in swathing the state with vibrant fall foliage. That color will steadily head southeast through mid-October.

Trees across the state haven’t started peaking yet apart from the occasional branch on a stressed tree in July or August, said Minnesota Department of Natural Resources forest health specialist Brian Schwingle.

Look up late next week for those first hues to shift, but exactly how vibrant they’ll be depends on a lot of factors.

“What you generally want in … September are a lot of sunny days with cool nights, but not freezing temperatures, not temperatures below, you know, 28 degrees and minimal rain and no wind,” Schwingle said. “Those conditions are going to produce maximum beautiful fall colors.”

Minnesota has seen a wet spring and summer, which is great for forests, Schwingle said. But it comes with a catch.

“It promotes conditions that favor fungi, and in particular, it favors fungal leaf diseases,” Schwingle said, noting the diseases aren’t overwhelmingly harmful to trees.

That can display as stunted, brown or missing leaves, “and that’s going to slightly diminish overall kind of brilliant fall landscape that we might be accustomed to.”

Still, the DNR is gearing up for visitors to its parks. Photographers and admirers alike can see what percentage of foliage has turned oh-so-gorgeous — and in what areas — on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resource’s annual Fall Color Finder. There, you can also find predictions by date based on past data.

Typically peaking in the latter half of September and putting on a show until mid-October, those Instagram-worthy reds, oranges and yellows last around two weeks in a given location, according to the DNR.

• Mild and muggy for mid-September
• Warm, sunny Sunday with breezy south winds
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