Rains could delay fall color

It’s a wet week across much of the Upper Peninsula and that threatens to halt fall colors. Cold nights and sunny days are the best weather conditions to see intense reds and yellows burst out among trees. When you get the opposite, it can slow or even wash out the bright hues that attract visitors from far and wide. Keweenaw Chamber of Commerce Manager Tara Arens said last week that forecasts for peak were expected to be ahead of schedule.

That fell in line with the fall colors report put out by funintheup.com. Steve Jurmu has collected data on the subject and given estimates for nearly a decade now. He says that color is already at 20-40 percent of peak across the Keweenaw Peninsula. He specifically points out US-41 between Mohawk and Delaware if you are looking for an area that is going earlier than elsewhere.

The site was originally predicting September 23rd for interior areas, but this week’s rain could push it back anywhere from four to seven days. Normal peak color season for the Western Upper Peninsula is the last week of September through the first two weeks of October. The expected delay would have it hit in the usual window.