The Pretty Colors Of Fall May Come Up Short This Year: Here’s Why

There's usually that two to three-week window each fall when we see all the red, yellow, and orange colors of the season. Unfortunately, you may not get as much this year.

The phrase a lot of people are sick of hearing is "climate change." Sadly, it looks like it's here to stay.

Dry summers cause tree leaves to brown and drop faster. According to an article in USA Today,

The trend is likely to continue as the planet warms, said arborists, conservationists and ecologists.

The peak leaf season in Maine is the end of September and this year they saw about 70% less color change this year.

In Colorado, high temps and dry conditions killed off foilage quicker this year so there were fewer beautiful trees to enjoy.

Where do those pretty fall colors come from? According to the article,

When fall arrives, and day length and temperature drop, the chlorophyll in a leaf breaks down, and that causes it to lose its green color. The green gives way to the yellows, reds and oranges that make for dramatic autumn displays.

So yeah, warmer days for a longer period means when the temps drop quicker, there is less time for a window of pretty leaves. A cold snap will quickly kill the leaves and they'll drop off! Climate change could become so significant it's possible we may soon miss the color changes altogether!

Fall tourism is big business in a few northern states and the economic impact could be in the billions of dollars.