Fall colors are continuing to progress quickly this week across the area. I would put Des Moines now at moderate color with 50% of the trees now showing at least some color. Now every city street has at least some color showing in some trees. Streets with Maples, Hackberries or Ash are beautiful and showing lots of color. Burning bushes are also beautiful shades of fire red right now. Sugar Maples are especially beautiful at this time showing shades of orange red yellow and green on one tree. One spot in particular is on the east side of Des Moines in one of the neighborhoods off 235 where there are several established Sugar Maples turning. Looking at the entire tree canopy now shows dotted trees turning colors or orange, yellow and red. However even with all this there is still a large percentage of mid to late turning trees such as Oaks, Poplars and Basswoods which are still very green. Now through the next week and a half is the time to see beautiful colors in the Des Moines area and Southern Iowa.
The fall color map now shows the northern part of Iowa has reached peak or has high color. Now is the time to view fall colors in such places as Decorah, Spencer, Mason City and Waterloo, as colors are high and as bright as they are going to be, so if in this area get out and enjoy! The rest of the state has now progressed to moderate color. Colors have actually started to come in so fast that in some areas fall colors have went right to high color category just in the last few days. Recent frosts have helped triggered the progression of colors. If everything continues as scheduled the rest of the state should start to reach high or peak color next week or the last week of October.
Today would have been a beautiful day for viewing the fall foliage as highs were in the low to mid 70s statewide. It certainly felt like a summers day in the middle of October! Below is a list of highs reached in southern central Iowa
Des Moines-Fairmount Park 76.F
Des Moines International Airport 76.F
Perry 76.F
Norwalk 76.F
Ankeny 75.F
Ames 75.F
Indianola 75.F
Pella 74.F
Boone 73.F
Knoxville 73.F
Newton 73.F
Marshalltown 72.F