When could fall colors peak?
It might seem like summer in Wisconsin is just hitting its groove, but with back-to-school sales in stores, fall is right around the corner. And with it comes the annual tradition of waiting for peak fall colors.
We're still at least two months from peak color across most of Wisconsin, but the predictions are already coming in: This season could be later than past years.
AccuWeather is predicting the Midwest's warm weather to stretch into September, delaying the onset of colors across Great Lakes states, including Wisconsin.
But AccuWeather long-range forecaster Paul Pastelok said “a surge of cold air will arrive in late September or October” and "farther north, we're talking a transition that could go from rather mild weather to some snow lying on the ground by mid-season."
Colors are already popping up in isolated spots in Wisconsin, including as far south as Baraboo. Derrick Mayoleth, who owns Skillet Creek Media and runs devilslakewisconsin.com,a tourism website dedicated to the park, tweeted a photo on Aug. 7 that showed a pop of orange in a tree along the Baraboo River in Sauk County.
Travel Wisconsin's Fall Color Report (travelwisconsin.com/fall-color-report) is predicting colors to peak anytime from the first week in October in northern Wisconsin to the last week of October in the state's southern counties.
Observers in all of Wisconsin's 72 counties report conditions and predictions throughout the season on the website.
When fall colors peak is mainly a product of daylight (or lack thereof), so it doesn't vary too much by year, but the weather can affect the colors, especially their vibrancy and duration.
If warm days are followed by cool, but not freezing, nights, colors — especially reds — are brighter. An early frost, heavy rainfall or strong winds can bring an abrupt end to the season.
While summer is peak travel time in Wisconsin, fall weekends are not far behind, so it's never too early to start planning your trips to see the colors.
See them from up high at places like Timm's Hill, Rib Mountain or Holy Hill; or take a fall drive along Lake Michigan, through the Driftless Area, or to waterfalls in northern Wisconsin.
Contact Chelsey Lewis at (414) 2242144 or clewis@journalsentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter at @chelseylew and @TravelMJS and Facebook at Journal Sentinel Travel.