Just like these photos from Brandi Archambeau, I’ve noticed between Lake Linden and Calumet the leaves are beginning to change. Note, I said, beginning... which means a splash of color here and there. But you can definitely see a change from the greens of summer, with a tinge of yellow off in the distance as your drive down Calumet/Lake Linden hill. I’m not certain where in the Keweenaw Brandi’s pictures were taken, but it could pretty much be anywhere here UP North. I wish I had a crystal ball that could predict when the peak weeks of color season will be, but it ends up being different every year.

We’re heading over the Mackinac Bridge in today’s video from Pennie Socha. From now until mid October, I’m betting the traffic will pick up on the Big Mac, as folks make their way to the U.P. to check out the fall colors.

Is it just me or is that water level high? I do
know they were saying lake levels are high.

Here it comes.

Love the Autumn season and it' colors! The derecho
storm that plowed it's way through my neck of the
woods last month have left some folks saying their
Lilacs and
Crabapple trees are blossoming again.

some data on lake levels from the end of August (most have drop a bit since then too):

The water level of Lake Superior is unchanged in the last month and down 2" in the last year. The lake level is 10" higher than the August average level and 2" below the highest August level ever set last year (in 2019).

The water level of Lake Michigan/Huron went down 2" in the last month due to a dryer weather pattern. The lakes are still 5" higher than they were one year ago. The lakes are 33" higher than the average August level and they are 1" higher than the record high average August level, set in 1986.

Lake Erie had a nice drop of 5" in the last month and it’s now 2" below this time last year. It’s still 24" above the average August level, but it is also 5" below the record level set last year (2019).

The water level of Lake Ontario dropped 6" in the last month and it’s 17" lower than it was one year ago. The lake is only 4" above the August average level and is 23" lower than the highest August level set in 1947.

Here is a graphical view to add to jbuck's info. It shows the history of all the Great Lakes from 1918 thru some of 2020. You can visualize the seasonal trends as well as longer climatic trends.

Since there has been a huge increase in weather monitoring over the past several years it has allowed weather prediction to become more and more accurate.

I would think that having all these data points of temperature, precipitation, humidity and intensity of sunlight (i.e. percentage of daily cloud cover) history for such a wide area of monitoring it would be possible to eventually do the research to come up with a way to predict the timing of Fall colors. But of course there's no money in it. There are places that are tracking and trying though like this National Fall Foliage Prediction Map. Note that there is a horizontal slide control below the map so you can change the prediction date. They are predicting peak U.P around September 28th. Given the Pasty observer's reports this tool is at least a week, maybe 2 weeks ahead of reality.

The only forecast I'm interested in is the local, here it is: "Tonight there will be a period of darkness followed by a period of light in the morning and tomorrows high..."Hey, when ever I get up, man". (George Carlin)

Can't get more local than this Alex...

Alex & D.A. thanks for the laughs, however... I
think my Warfarin just went down the wrong pipe!!

The Fall pics are great and the video... well, I
need a "Fix" and I'm going to have to get the
steel belts hummin on the asphalt N. bound in
early Oct. to see those U.P. colors! The ol lung's
need that freshest air on earth, not to mention my
repaired ticker!! lol

Lovely green and red.