Minnesota’s unseasonably warm and dry September put a damper on typical fall foliage and autumn activities.
The highest temperature recorded in September was 92 degrees in Granite Falls amid a period of above-80-degree days throughout the state, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
This September beat September 2023’s highest temperature by more than one degree, according to Sven Sundgaard, a meteorologist for Minnesota Public Radio.
Most of Minnesota is also in a drought period, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The Twin Cities had its driest September on record this year, according to Sundgaard.
Brandon Miller, the plant collections curator at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, said the unseasonable warmth puts stress on plant life and reduces the intensity of tree color, sometimes causing plants to skip changing color altogether.
“If there is color, I’m not anticipating it will last very long. It might be short and sweet and maybe not as vibrant as we had hoped, which is unfortunate,” Miller said.
Sundgaard said the high temperatures the West experienced this summer and severe weather events like Hurricane Helene have left more heat trapped over the Midwest through September.
“I call it, for lack of a better term, weather constipation, because nothing can move when you’ve got a system like that blocking the pattern,” Sundgaard said.
Trees change color in response to colder temperatures, according to Sundgaard. The Twin Cities typically has 10 nights in the 40-degree range by Oct. 2, this year the area only had two.
Bill Jacobson, production manager at Pine Tree Apple Orchard in White Bear Lake, said apple and pumpkin harvests at the orchard look good despite unseasonably warm temperatures.
“The fruit finish on the apples is tremendous,” Jacobson said. “Very similar to last year which was just one of our best years ever for quality, so we’re kind of on track for that again.”
Jacobson said some apple trees are smaller this harvest season because of the current drought and less frequent irrigation compared to last year.
The abnormally hot September is related to climate change and is part of a dramatic warming over the last few decades, according to Sundgaard. September, June and December are Minnesota’s fastest-warming months.
“Summers are getting longer,” Sundgaard said. “They’re starting earlier and ending later, that means frosts are coming later.”
Sundgaard said colder temperatures this year will take all fall to develop, but Minnesotans could see more than average snowfall levels.
“My hunch as a forecaster and watching these patterns for more than two decades is that winter will probably have a late start this year,” Sundgaard said.
Miller said he does not think the lackluster tree color has dampened the spirits of Minnesotans wanting to enjoy the fall season.
“The fall activities that people like to partake in, especially here at the Arboretum with purchasing apples and pumpkins and such, do still seem to be in full swing,” Miller said.
Jacobson said business at Pine Tree Orchard was lighter on hot weekends, but he feels confident the weather patterns will balance themselves out this fall.
“We’ve got a really faithful following of customers,” Jacobson said. “They always have that annual trip and they’re gonna do it and everyone’s waiting for the perfect weather.”
Sundgaard said Minnesota’s natural life and citizens have learned to thrive in the cold, but residents may need to recognize that abnormal weather conditions like this will become the new normal going forward.
“How do we as farmers or just average citizens adapt?” Sundgaard said. “Farmers are already experiencing this, how do you go from drought to flood to drought?”