COTTAGE COUNTRY,ON- The woods are getting more colourful as fall arrives in our area.
According to the most recent reports on fall colours throughout the area from multiple tourism sources, fall colours are getting underway in Muskoka, the Haliburton Highlands, and around Parry Sound.
Discover Muskoka is indicating that Huntsville and Lake of Bays are seeing 20 to 30 per cent of their colour change. Green is still prominent, with oranges, yellows and reds beginning to appear in multiple pockets.
Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, Georgian Bay, and the Muskoka Lakes area are slightly behind, with a ten to 20 per cent colour change. The tourism source indicated there are small pockets of mainly yellow and orange leaves in the area.
They supplied the following best guesses to view the changing colours.
Early fall colour viewing opportunities: September 24 – September 30
Peak maple fall colour viewing opportunities: October 1 – October 12
Peak golden encore fall colour viewing opportunities: October 13 – 21
Algonquin Park is reporting a near-peak for maple colours, and is already drawing in visitors to check out the trees.
Parry Sound is being described as having a ten to 20 per cent colour change by 400Eleven.com, with zero per cent leaf fall. The predominant colour is still green.
The Haliburton area has a 20 per cent change on the same site, with no leaf fall as well.
According to Geoff Coulson, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, precipitation from Parry Sound to Haliburton has been running a bit drier than normal, which can cause less vibrant displays of fall foliage.
However, weather coming in from the Dakotas and prairies is expected to bring in precipitation at the end of the work week and weekend. Residents should expect to see more vibrant colours after those systems pass through.
“It is shaping up to be a more standard fall foliage situation,” said Coulson.
“Certainly, that could change as we get into the month of October, and right now it looks like it should be a vibrant colour change in the coming weeks.”
While it’s too soon to say when snow will come, Coulson said that October should be warmer than normal, with daytime highs of seven or eight degrees by the end of the month and lows of just above freezing.
The warmer month should have more days of double-digit temperatures, which he expected to “bode well” for the colour change.