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Does Indiana have the right recipe for great fall color this year?

Posted at 7:55 PM, Oct 05, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-05 19:55:56-04

There's finally a feeling of fall in the air across Central Indiana. Soon the trees will be filled with even more hues of yellow, orange and red. So far, things are still pretty green here. You have to make your way pretty far north or west across the US to see the bright fall colors.

Instead of loading up the car and hitting the road, you can hang out in Indiana and let the changing colors come to you. The timing and peak brightness of our fall foliage is something that's a little different each year. That's because our weather plays a role in what happens in the trees.

When it comes to getting the best and brightest fall color the US Forest Service says, "A succession of warm, sunny days and cool, crisp but not freezing nights seems to bring about the most spectacular color displays." We've certainly had the warmth, but until recently our nights haven't been very cool. The US Forest Service adds, "A late spring, or a severe summer drought, can delay the onset of fall color by a few weeks." While our drought hasn't been severe, our recent dry stretch could lend to a shorter window for perfect leaf peeping.

An Interpretive Naturalist with BrownCounty.com says, "Typically the second and third week of October are the peak times, but the last several years, leaves have had good color lasting on into November." You can check the progress of Central Indiana's fall color, before you make the trip to your favorite area for leaf peeping. Brown County has two leaf cams to track the changing color this year.