The best places to see fall colors in northern Michigan
(CBS DETROIT) - The trees around southeast Michigan are still rather green. But if you're going up north to go hunting this weekend, NEXT Weather meteorologist Karen Carter shows you where the best places are to see the colorful fall foliage and when we might see the leaves change color here in Metro Detroit.
The sun, temperatures, rain and wind are factors that affect how and when we see the leaves around us change. The ideal weather to get the most vibrant and showy leaves are warm, sunny days and cool, crisp nights.
For colorful leaves, average, cool autumn temperatures help repress the chlorophyll in the leaves, which suppresses the green color, while sunshine helps develop anthocyanins, which boost the red and purple colors that show in leaves. Too much rain could delay color. Too little rain results in earlier color. For timely color, we want a wet spring with a dry fall.
But beware; extreme cold or frost can hamper anthocyanins and damage leaves. Wind can also damage leaves or make them drop early.
The month of September has been ranked as the 20th driest month and 13th warmest month on record within the last approximately 150 years.
So, if you're going hunting this weekend, the fall foliage is mainly low in color across the state, with a few high-color areas in the Upper Peninsula. And here in Southeast Michigan, we're still about three weeks away until we hit peak color as long as the factors continue in our favor.