U.P. Fall Color Report Wk6

Peak color will be later than most expect. Dry and warm weather continue.

—Week 6— 11th Annual FunintheUP.com Fall Color Report

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Welcome to Week 6 of the 11th Annual UP Fall Color Report brought to you by me, Yooper Steve of FunintheUP.com. Thanks for subscribing I am glad to have you. For those paying subscribers I am so grateful to have your support so I can keep putting gas in the Ford Explorer to bring these reports to those who love UP Fall colors.

Driving Stats for 2024 U.P. Fall Color Report

Week 6 : 350 Miles driven: - 24 gal of gas

Weeks 1-6 : 3120 Miles driven - 208 gal of gas

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Overall Color Change 10%-30%

With the cooler temps that moved in for about 4 days last week we saw some more color starting to pop. Most areas across the entire U.P. now have at least 8-10% color change.

The reds are starting to appear and some places have already noticed some trees with leaf loss with these reds. Birch are starting to turn yellow, poplars are still very green, most maples now are starting to get that yellow hues and more orange and reds are being seen along most roadsides now.

That short cool down didn’t last for long as over the weekend and the last couple days we saw temps get back up into the mid 70s with some places touching low 80s. Looking forward it doesn’t look good for the weather we need to get those colors really popping. The 8-14 days precipitation outlook looks near normal and the temp outlook looks to be above normal across the Upper Peninsula heading into the end of September.

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Social Media Peak Color Maps and predictions

I have to address graphics that are circulating across social media regarding when peak fall color is for the Upper Peninsula. Keep in mind that these graphics and predictions are very general and they don’t give you the type of detailed information that you get with these reports I’ve been providing for the last 11 years. Color change doesn’t happen uniformly from west to east, there are microclimates across all areas of the U.P. that affect color change. Color can vary up to 40% different from even as close as a couple miles. Everyone is so quick to jump on their predictions for clicks and likes it can lead to some disappointing people who follow these predictions and peak color maps.

If you are thinking of viewing the colors in the Upper Peninsula this year and any year, you take at least 3 days for a fall color adventure. You maximize your chances to see the color that you desire. Color can hit peak as quickly as 3 or 4 days from 60% percent color change, and with winds, rain, and even snowfall in the fall can knock the leaves off the trees very fast. When color starts to reach into the 75% range in places most people would be happy with the color, waiting until 90% or peak color and hopping in your car to go see color can often lead to disappointing time as leaves fall off the trees quickly in places. So leaving yourself a little time to travel to different places can give you a better chance to see some beautiful colors. Even views from Brockway Mtn one of the most gorgeous places for fall color views in the eastern US can vary as much as 40% from eastern views to south west views.

I always tell people if you are just looking for some color and want a guarantee of some color the last 5 days of September and first 2 days of October are your best bet. A few years ago we hit peak color across most areas in the Western UP around Sept 22nd. Eastern UP can be as late as the 3rd week of October but rarely. You just never know the weather can change quickly and with Lake Superior and cool Arctic air moving in from Canada it can really speed up color change.

I provide this Fall Color Report because I want to give people the best info out there which will help in seeing some of the most gorgeous fall colors in the United States.

Thanks for reading and I hope this year you’ll be able to see some amazing fall colors. I’m looking forward to seeing some of you on a Guided UP Fall Color Tour or Yooper Rock hunting tour before the snow starts flying.

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More detailed regional information and more detailed color progression map

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—Yooper Steve

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