Are This Year’s Minnesota Fall Colors Behind Schedule?

Here we are, past the midway point of September, and continuing our slide toward the deeper parts of fall in Minnesota. While we had some trees as far back as mid-August starting to change to their fall hues due to stress from the summer's drought conditions around the state, we haven't seen those colors erupt quite yet across the state.

In a normal year, the last week or two of September is when we see colors in the far northern parts of Minnesota come into peak before expanding southward through the early and middle parts of October.

While no two years of weather are exactly alike, this year's weather has been a little "abnormal". From the very dry conditions this spring and most of the summer to late-summer and early fall heat, followed by some much-needed rain at the end of the growing season, all of those factors play into when the fall colors appear and how impressive they will be.

So, have this year's weather factors pushed back our fall colors? According to data from the Minnesota DNR from over the last few years, it appears so.

READ MORE: This Is The Most Underrated Scenic Fall Overlook In Northern Minnesota

According to the Minnesota DNR's Fall Color Finder, this year's fall foliage is just starting to take shape across the northern half of Minnesota, with some spots elsewhere in the state also seeing limited color.

Compared to the last two years, this year is behind schedule for parts of Minnesota.

Minnesota DNR

Digging back even further, over the last 6 years, the only time we've seen less fall color in Minnesota by September 18 was in 2022. During the fall of 2022, only relatively small patches of Minnesota had started reporting fall colors by this date.

Minnesota DNR

Going back a little further, there are more examples of how we are generally further along with our fall colors transformation by now. In 2019, we were actually on the other end of the spectrum.

Based on the Minnesota DNR's annual data, a wide swath of 25-50% color was already being reported across much of Northern Minnesota, with one spot in Northeastern Minnesota even further along yet.

Minnesota DNR

So, looking at this year's fall colors as they compare to every fall since 2018, we are definitely on the slower end of the annual shift to fall colors.

The recent cooler weather, especially with nighttime temperatures occasionally dipping into the 40s, will help advance things.

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By the end of September and into the early part of October, we should still see pretty good fall colors developing across Northern Minnesota if you're trying to plan out a trip to see them.

We have all the routes on this interactive map, so you can explore further!