ARKANSAS, USA — Fall is officially here! And the leaves are gradually changing from north to south. If you are making last-minute plans to see the fall leaves in Arkansas during peak foliage, you won't be disappointed in 2023.
For the latest forecast for driving into the fall foliage, tap here.
Leaves changing color is an annual display, never failing as daylight quickly shortens and the nights grow longer. The vibrance of the fall colors and the timing of peak fall leaves can be impacted by how the late summer months impact the trees.
What happened this summer?
We had a lot of ups and downs with the weather for summer 2023, especially for rainfall. Spring was wet, and summer started off fairly wet too. Decent downpours kept vegetation and grass greener this summer through July, but by mid-August, some extreme heat waves with dry conditions quickly evaporated leftover water in the topsoil. We quickly dried out. Burn bans were activated and wildfire risks re-emerged. This heat started activating the leaf scorch.
September was a good month for rain. We quickly turned things around. Several inches of rain fell from southwest Missouri to western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. Drought conditions ended.
Last Few Days Of Summer...
Additional storms brought some heavy rains to wrap up the last days of summer and the first day or two of fall. This rainfall helped solidify soil moisture.
When to expect peak fall colors
This year should be excellent for fall colors. The leaf scorch should be over. Compared to the last few years, we have had better rainfall leading up to peak fall colors.
Temperatures can help dictate how quickly the fall leaves change. Warmer weather slightly delays peak colors by a few days or even a week or two in extreme cases. It looks like Arkansas will have slightly warmer weather for October, the final weeks before peak color season. This may slightly push back the onset of peak by a few days, but not much.
If you are planning a trip to Arkansas to see the fall colors, plan for the third week of October for the Boston Mountains, fourth week of October for the rest of NW Arkansas, and the first week of November for much of the Ouachitas.
-5NEWS Weather