Fall leaves have started showing their true colors in Utah
Sep 12, 2023, 6:33 PM | Updated: 7:51 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — For as many of us who looked forward to summer after the winter season we had in Utah, you really can’t beat a good September.
There’s just something about the anticipation of fall.
“Cool mornings. Nice days. We love it,” Sam Arnold said.
Arnold and his wife Cait love going on walks in the afternoon. We caught up to them during one of their walks in Summit County today.
“It is our favorite,” Cait said.
The cooler weather also means their newborn baby Cooper and dog Coda won’t get too hot.
Lately, though, they have been noticing something that reminds them of their New England roots.
“Yeah, and even over the last five days, it’s like once one tree goes, they all start going,” Sam said. “I think here is more vibrant than even back home.”
Fall colors are coming to Utah.
One of Utah’s most beautiful seasons is upon us! Fall colors really start to change in the mountains over the next 3 weeks! #utwx 😍🍁🍂 pic.twitter.com/SrVmOEtkCV
— Matthew Johnson (@KSL_Matt) September 12, 2023
In Summit County’s Pinebrook neighborhood opposite Jeremy Ranch along Interstate 80, some trees in the mountains are starting to show off.
“Actually, we just said it yesterday,” Cait said. “We were out walking around just doing a loop around the park and is said, oh, it’s even more orange than it was yesterday and more orange than the day before, so it happens quick.”
Fall color pictures are starting to come in to our KSL weather department, which meteorologist Matt Johnson loves to see.
“It is fun to talk about it with the viewers bringing their photos in, doing their exploring, their leaf peeping,” he said with a smile.
Many people have been wondering if this fall color season could be a vibrant one because of the water year we had, but Johnson says there is more to it than just water.
“Lots of factors. One of the main ones is the lack of sunlight,” he said. “In the summertime we see the leaves, they’re super green. That’s chlorophyll that actually overtakes the leaf, acts as food for the leaf, so that the tree can grow.”
That means as the days get shorter, and less sunlight, there is less chlorophyll, so we start to see the actual color of the leaves.
“The yellows and oranges,” Sam said.
No matter the science behind it all, it is a part of the year many of us look forward to.
“It is a fun change of scenery,” Sam said.
Right now, the peak of the fall color season in Utah is predicted to be toward the last few days of September and the first few days of October.
You can submit your photos, and see those sent in by others of weather, breaking news, scenic Utah, and pets: https://ksltv.com/as-you-see-it/
