LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — The signs of fall are starting to pop up across mid-Michigan, including a few leaves already beginning to change into those beautiful fall colors we look forward to each year.
Trees will mainly change color due to the loss of daylight hours, but weather conditions like temperature and precipitation in the months leading up to fall can also play a huge role when it comes to how vibrant these colors will be.
When we have drier-than-average conditions, that can cause a muted or delayed color change.
But when we have wetter-than-average conditions in the prior months, we normally see more vibrant fall colors that change right on schedule.
When it comes to temperatures, we see brighter and typically the best display of fall foliage when we have seasonably cooler temperatures during the day and at night.
The cooler temperatures will not only stop the trees’ production of chlorophyll, which causes the leaves green appearance in the first place. But it also allows for the sugars within the leaves to build up, leading to the beautiful and vibrant red, oranges and yellow that we all are familiar with.
However, when we have warmer-than-average temperatures, we now have a situation where the leaves turn out to be brown rather than orange and red.
For the past few months we have been wetter than average, and lately, we have seen those seasonably cooler temperatures overnight.
But fall foliage in mid-Michigan will normally peak in mid-October, so the weather that we see in the next few weeks will also be crucial in determining just how amazing fall foliage will be this year.
