MN Fall Colors Map: DNR Releases 2024 Foliage Forecast

MINNESOTA — The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources on Friday released its 2024 fall color forecast, helping Minnesotans find where leaf colors peak each week.

The peak season for fall leaf-peeping is still a few weeks away, leaving you time to plan a road trip to see fall foliage at its most brilliant.

Fall colors in Minnesota typically peak in mid-to-late-September through mid-October, the DNR notes, with peaks starting in the northwest corner and moving to the southeast corner.

Peak fall color usually persists in a location for two weeks, but can vary widely depending on location and weather, the DNR notes.

"Brilliant fall color occurs when early fall days are sunny, nights are chilly and there is adequate rainfall throughout the growing season," said Brian Schwingle, a DNR forest health specialist, in a statement.

Good news for this fall: In stark contrast to the past two years of extreme drought, the 2024 growing season has seen a lot of rain, which is overall better for trees and leaves, specifically.

Bad news: The heavy rain has also promoted fungal leaf diseases, which could cause early leaf shedding or dead spots and blotches on leaves.

"The main driver of leaves changing color is the decrease of daily sunlight," the DNR explains.

"Photosynthesis, or the production of sugars that depend on sunlight, begins to slow down in response to shortening days. This leads to lower levels of chlorophyll, the pigment that supports photosynthesis and gives leaves their green color. When chlorophyll is reduced, other color pigments in the leaves begin to show, like yellow and oranges."

The DNR’s Fall Color map helps the public track the fall colors across Minnesota.

The map is based on state park staff sharing reports from their location each Wednesday, in time for Minnesotans to make leaf-peeping travel plans for that weekend.

The color-coded map shows the approximate percentage of leaves that have changed color, and has a date slider that allows viewers to choose times in the future to see what typical colors are like across the state on that date, based on past data.