As the fall season continues to advance, the beauty of the Inland Northwest is enhanced by the tremendous ‘fall foliage.’ The next several weeks should provide the greatest display of color in the region.

During this time of year, the mixture of reds, purples, oranges and especially yellows will dot the landscape. In the spring and summer months, the green leaves actually serve as food factories for the tree’s growth. This food-making process takes place in the leaf which contains a chemical called chlorophyll. This amazing chemical absorbs energy from sunlight that used to transform carbon dioxide and water to carbohydrates, like sugars and starch. Chlorophyll also gives the leaf its green color.

As we move into the fall season, changes in daylight hours and temperature result in the leaves to stop their food-making process. The chlorophyll breaks down and the leaf’s green color disappears. The other colors of red, orange, yellow pigments in the leaf now become visible making for spectacular displays before the leaves eventually fall off the trees. Sugar maples and birch trees often show the most array of color at this time of year.

For the best fall foliage, the trees need moisture during the summer season. Extended periods of abnormal dryness will often lead to leaves prematurely falling off trees and changing colors sooner than normal. The foliage is the most spectacular when there are also sunny days and cool nights in the late summer and early fall. The best color comes from trees that are less stressed. The lack of water in the summer will often lead to more stress for trees, so the fall colors may not be quite as brilliant.

Here in the Inland Northwest, we’ve had one of the hottest and driest summer seasons on record. There will still be a lot of great views in our region, but overall conditions this year may not be as spectacular when compared to other years. Regardless, I would still get those cameras ready.

Although the Inland Northwest can provide some breathtaking views, the colors in the Northeast are some of the most amazing I’ve ever witnessed. My wife Sally and I lived in Vermont for about 7 years and we were lucky enough to see the brilliant display of colors of the hillsides every fall as most of the trees there are sugar maples and birch. If one wanted to take a vacation in the fall, I would certainly recommend a trip to the Northeast sometime in late September or early October. Believe me, it’s worth it.

If one is planning some local ‘leaf-peeping’ this fall season, schedule some time as soon as possible as the normal peak of color is around late September to the middle of October, depending on the location.

In terms of our local weather, that strong high pressure that brought us the hot and dry summer continues to dominate most of the western portions of the country. We’ve seen a few storms bring some light amounts of rainfall, and there may be a few rain showers around by the weekend. There is another system that may bring us a better chance of rain around the middle of the following week.

We’ve all heard about the warmer than normal sea-surface temperature event, El Nino, in the south-central Pacific Ocean. During strong El Nino years, similar to this one, North Idaho often receives near to slightly below average precipitation during the fall season. Rainfall also starts to pick up in California. Parts of Southern California have already reported record rains earlier this month from tropical moisture that may be the beginning of a wet season for them. I’ll have more on that next week.

Cliff and I have already been talking about this fall season. We both agree that the high pressure system that’s been dominating in the western U.S. will hold on into next month and most of the moisture will go south of our region. We don’t see conditions turning wetter than normal until the late winter or early spring when El Nino is expected to weaken. If the warm water phenomenon starts to fall apart sooner, then we’ll have to revise a few forecasts.

On another note, regarding last week’s article on the beginning of fall and trying to stand an egg on end, I want to thank Judy MacLeod for sending me some pictures of her late husband, Doug MacLeod, who was successful to get an egg upright when they were in San Antonio, Texas. She says they did this more than once. Here’s a picture of their success.

Contact Randy Mann at randy@longrangeweather.com.