Here’s When Illinois Fall Colors Will Be Best, Say The Experts

Over the past week or so, we've been getting a small taste of what fall feels like, especially at night. When the calendar flips over into September like it just did, we all know it's just a matter of time before the leaves on trees throughout Northern Illinois start to make that colorful change.

Read More: Survey Names Illinois' Best Spot For Fall Colors

With forecasted temperatures next week hitting the mid-80s, and up to 90 degrees on Thursday, it's fairly safe to say that the changeover from green leaves to golds, reds, and bright orange is a little ways away...but how far?

As with so many things in life, it depends on who you talk to.

You May Have Already Noticed Some Trees In The Area That Have A Few Changing Leaves On Them

Back in July, my mother-in-law was certain the the leaves were already starting to change because the tree across the street had a big section of red and orange leaves. She declared it was the earliest turning-of-the-leaves that she had ever seen, and that fall was definitely on the way.

We didn't have the heart to tell her that it was just a broken branch on the tree, and that the leaves had changed because the branch was dead. I'm afraid to dump ice out of a cooler now because she'll proclaim it to be the first snowfall of the season if she sees it.

Normally we have to wait beyond September to get the full colorful effect of changing leaves, but maybe we'll get that effect sooner due to the current weather conditions.

Northern Illinois Typically Gets More Colorful Once We Hit The Mid-Point Of October, And Some Years It's Even Later Than That

Our current weather conditions won't make things colorful more quickly, but the weather can and does play a big role in the intensity of the colors we'll see. Nice warm days followed by cool, but not freezing nights are what the leaves need to max out their fall colors when the change happens. We've been getting perfect weather for that to happen.

Now...back to the question of when.

Here's When The Fall Color Prognosticators Say We Should Look For Peak Colors In Illinois

Like I said earlier, it depends on who you talk to. Here are some predictions from those who know about these things:

The Farmers' Almanac: For Northern Illinois, peak viewing will be October 5th through October 21st. For Southern Illinois, it's October 12th through October 28th.

The Old Farmers Almanac: October 21st through November 3rd in Northern Illinois, November 1st through November 15th in Southern Illinois.

AccuWeather: Mid October in Northern Illinois, Early November in Southern Illinois. AccuWeather is also predicting that this year's leaves will be particularly vibrant.

SmokeyMountains.com: They have a really cool interactive map that you can change the dates on to see what changes in foliage color will happen over a few days. They have Northern Illinois peaking on October 21st, and Southern Illinois having the best viewing starting in early November.