Fall colors peaking early, but may not be as vibrant

The fall season has started with a bang with the weather. It hasn’t been active in terms of showers and storms; however, it has been incredibly warm – record warm! Before yesterday, the first days of fall hit at least 87 degrees or warmer and featured four 90°+ highs.

If you’re looking for the vibrant colors, these are not ideal conditions. The ideal conditions for spectacular views of different colors always include cool night and sunny days. The cool start in September fooled the trees a bit and you began to see a line of lovely, vibrant colors. Then summer returned.

With a wet spring and early part of summer, the trend was leading toward an early peak season for fall colors. The warmth of the last week have stopped this pattern in its tracks.

Nonetheless, the more north and west you go, the better colors you will see around the Badger State. Colors will start to peak north in the next week or so. In southeastern Wisconsin, expect mid to late October for those peak colors.