Forecasting fall foliage, the First Alert on when to catch the vibrant colors

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - With a taste of fall in the extended forecast, you may find yourself wondering when leaves will begin to turn. The weather now impacts the fall foliage later this year, and so we are able to start forecasting for peak fall color.

The two main pieces of the forecast include temperature and precipitation.

There is still plenty of summer to get through, with average high temperatures through early September in the middle to low 80s. The first day of autumn is September 22, 2025, and we were able to climb to the 90s as late as September 21 in 2024.

When cool weather arrives, trees shed their leaves to preserve water and nutrients for other parts of the tree, including the branches and trunk. With relatively warm temperatures extending later into the year, this process ca