Higher than average temperatures and rainfall to close out the summer have been problematic, but one positive side effect is that it should mean that Wisconsin experiences a bright and colorful fall.
According to SmokyMountains.com, always one of the best and most comprehensive fall foliage prediction sites, it should be a beautiful, colorful and prolific fall for foliage in Wisconsin.
“The 2018 Fall Foliage Map is the ultimate visual planning guide to the annual progressive changing of the leaves. While no tool can be 100% accurate, this tool is meant to help travelers better time their trips to have the best opportunity of catching peak color each year.”
Of course, it’s all a prediction and based on past color reports, so anything can change. But so far, it looks like we’re in for a gorgeous autumn in Wisconsin.
According to SmokyMountain.com, the best week for fall color will be in mid-October, when the whole state is in peak or near-peak and not just past peak.
As we learned in grade school science, leaves get their green color from chlorophyll. As days get shorter and colder, the trees stop producing the chemical and that's when the leaves begin to change and reveal their true colors.
The warm and wet summertime should help lend itself to a colorful fall, but it'll be the weather during September and October that most affect when and how much the leaves change color.
A cool spring meant a later leaf bloom and these late showers have kept everything watered and growing. Those might combine to mean a slightly later color burst than we may be used to.
Though some of those eastern states attract folks for "leaf peeping," Wisconsin's abundant Northwoods forests make this a perfect place to come check out fall foliage. From as far south as Holy Hill in Hubertus on up to Door County and along Lake Superior, the wide variety of trees in Wisconsin make for a gorgeous array of color as the calendar turns.
In order for Wisconsin to see the brightest colors, we need some of this rain to taper off and let the sunshine back in. Cool nighttime temperatures help, but the colors will be most affected by the skies continuing to be overcast and wet. We want the leaves to be well-nourished, but not drowned. The excessive rain and storms can knock the leaves right off the trees, robbing us of the chance to see them turn.
All these different factors go into whether or not it will be a bright and beautiful fall. The way the spring and summer went combined with the predictions for fall mean that this year's fall foliage should be everything you're dreaming of and more.
There's something especially wonderful about getting to see the bright colors reflected off the water and brought out by the bright blue of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. All the interior lakes make for stunning views. Wisconsin is really just the perfect place to leaf peep.
There are so many different wonderful ways to enjoy the fall colors in Wisconsin. Take a long drive through the country, take a hike, or even get out on the water to enjoy autumn at its fullest. Dust off your camera and get ready for a vibrant and colorful fall. You won't be disappointed.
