Upper Peninsula seeing peak fall color; southern Michigan green for now

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The weather pattern so far this October has left portions of Michigan seeing peak fall color with others barely seeing any color change at all.

CURRENT FALL COLOR

There is significant contrast of fall color across the state of Michigan for the second week of October. Most of the Upper Peninsula is seeing peak color, with reds and oranges starting to take over.

At the same time, some types of trees were under stress from the high winds this past weekend, leading to some advancing past peak color already.

West Michigan remains rather green. The few trees that may be starting to show some faint yellows and oranges may be a result of stress as well. The high winds and rather dry September is beginning to show its impact.

LATE FROST FOR WEST MICHIGAN

Grand Rapids typically sees it’s first fall frost (36 degrees or lower) on Oct. 1, with other cities seeing frost in late September. The first freeze (32 degrees or lower) typically comes a bit later on Oct. 13.

The first official frost for Grand Rapids this year was Thursday morning , just over a week behind schedule. Early frost can often weaken color and speed up when fall color occurs. That has not been an issue for West Michigan this year.

FOLIAGE FORECAST

The week ahead will be crucial in West Michigan. Though the warm temperatures, windy conditions and lack of rain all have played a part in the lack of change, this week is expected to show more peak color.

If you are looking to make a trip to the Upper Peninsula or northern Michigan, this is the weekend to do it. Parts of the Upper Peninsula are showing signs of past peak color thanks to the winds this past weekend. The areas near Lake Michigan and Lake Superior seem to have less vibrant color. By next week, lots of trees may begin shedding their leaves altogether.

Cooler temperatures are expected in West Michigan next week with highs in the 50s and lows in the upper 30s. By the middle of the week, the sunny days and cool nights should favor trees transitioning.

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