Get Your Fall Peepers Ready: Minnesota DNR launches their fall color map to track the changing leaves

It's September (this just in), and that means meteorological fall. It also means the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is launching its fall color finder map to track the changing leaves over the coming weeks.

Nothing has turned quite yet, even in far northern Minnesota, but trees are in much better shape than in years past. That's due to all of the rain the state received this summer according to Forest Health Specialist Brian Schwingle.

"That's great news because our forests have suffered recently from severe droughts and it takes a few years for forests to recover from severe droughts," Schwingle explains. "So we desperately needed a lot of rain."

Parts of northern and central Minnesota will start to see some color changes in the next two weeks with areas closer to the metro and southern Minnesota getting in on the action closer to October.

Schwigle says unfortunately the state's Aspen trees took a big hit due to all of the rain and most have a non-serious fungal leaf disease this season.

The DNR is also encouraging leaf-peepers to share their photos on the website's fall color page.

"People who go out and make a trip and take some photos, can share them with us," says Schwingle. "If they go to a state park, a state trail, a recreation area, a forest and then we can share those photos with the public. They'll show up in photo galleries and they might even be used on DNR social media channel."

And in case you haven't noticed Friday, there's some chill in the air. It won't last long, but don't be surprised to hear that furnace kicking on Friday night.

"We're going to be in the upper 40s in the metro again, the coolest since late May," says WCCO-TV Meteorologist Adam Del Rosso. "But across parts of northern Minnesota we're back into the 30s, and away from the lake (Superior). Yeah, we do have the potential for some patchy frost."

The National Weather Service does have a frost advisory in effect for much of northern Minnesota overnight Friday.

FROST ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 8 AM CDT SATURDAY

* WHAT...Temperatures as low as 35 will result in frost formation.

* WHERE...In Minnesota, Pine and South Aitkin Counties. In Wisconsin, Burnett County. This includes the Tribal Lands of the St. Croix Band in Burnett County and the Mille Lacs Band, Hinckley, Lena Lake and, East Lake areas.

* WHEN...From 2 AM to 8 AM CDT Saturday.

* IMPACTS...Frost could harm sensitive outdoor vegetation. Sensitive outdoor plants may be killed if left uncovered.

On the flip side, temps in the 80's - even the upper 80s - are on the way next week for much of the state.

Saturday: Sunny with light winds and high of 70.
Sunday: Partly Cloudy, 10-15 mph winds, high of 81.
Monday: Sunny and warm. High 85.
Tuesday: Clouds with sun mixed in. Breezy and high of 87.
Wednesday: Sunny, high 87.
Thursday: Sunny, high 88.