Fall colors are starting — here’s when we expect them to peak

The tinges of yellow and red start showing up on the maple trees in Sioux Falls about mid-August.

It can be a little depressing to think that summer is coming to an end.

But at some point, you just have to go all-in. The passing of the autumnal equinox Sept. 22 seems like a good time to accept and enjoy.

Which begs the question, where to see South Dakota’s fall colors – and when?

You’re in luck.

The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks has a fine online map of the current color conditions. 

But if you want to look into the future – and who doesn’t – the good people at Great Smoky Mountains National Park have done the whole nation a favor with an impressive fall foliage prediction map. 

The map has a week-to-week slider that shows the state of the leaves across the country.

By their calculation, things are just getting fired up in South Dakota, with some partial and mild coloration in the Black Hills and the northeast corner of the state.

The peak of autumnal beauty in the Sioux Falls area will be the week of Oct. 18, according to the predictor.

We’ll be back to “brown town” by Nov. 1.

Between now and then, if you want to get out to catch the colors, the weather forecast is pretty good.

One good rain with strong winds can ruin the view in a hurry. But the outlook is favorable right now, said Philip Schumacher, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls.

The prediction is for above-average temperatures and normal to below-normal precipitation across the state. The normal high for October in the Sioux Falls region is the low to mid-70s with overnight lows in the 50s.

“Overall, it’s pretty good outdoor weather for October across South Dakota,” Schumacher said.

The Great Smoky Mountains site includes a bunch of great information about the science behind why leaves turn color, why they fall from the trees and what happens then.

There also are downloadable coloring sheets for kids and fall feel-good recipes.

The site may make you want to book a fall vacation in the mountain towns of North Carolina and Tennessee, but you’ll learn a lot along the way.