Colorado's fall colors in the state's mountains are emerging a couple of weeks early in 2025 as yellows and oranges are beginning to appear ahead of the annual September change over.

At locations like on Fremont Pass outside Leadville, around Tolland in Gilpin County and near Frisco in Summit County, leaves have begun changing colors.

Driving factors to this year's earlier change are mostly due to drought conditions across the state.

The three key factors that affect leaf changing timelines in the mountains are adequate snowpack from the previous winter, sufficient summer-time rain, and cool nights and sunny days.

Colorado's snowpack suffered in some spots over winter 2024-25, leaving some areas in western and southwestern Colorado very dry heading into summer.

The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad climbs Cumbres Pass from Chama, N.M., to Antonio, Colo., through the turning aspens Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. The railroad was started by Colorado Springs city founder Willam J. Palmer in 1882. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)

Furthermore, monsoonal rains didn't fall in the mountains as much, focusing their rains onto the eastern Plains and Front Range foothills.

Lastly, daytime highs and nighttime lows have been less than ideal for the trees to undergo their more natural leaf-turning timeline shift, which usually starts at the beginning of September.

Due to the lack of both snowpack and summer rains, trees drank most of the available water in the soil already, kick starting the leaf changing process earlier than normal.

Here is a map of expected fall color changes across the state:

Typically, colors peak in Colorado's northern mountains — the Park, Mummy, Never Summer and Rabbit Ears ranges — throughout the month of September. The central mountains — the Flattops, Gore, Sawatch, and Front ranges — peak the last week of the month. The southern mountains — San Juans, Sangre de Cristo, Wet and Spanish Peak ranges — peak the first and second weeks of October.

9News Meteorologist Chris Bianchi said Monday, the peak fall colors could occur between 7 to 10 days earlier in 2025 and with less vibrancy in colors.

What does September 2025's monthly outlook like for the fall colors?

The National Weather Service's monthly temperature outlook for September shows all of Colorado is forecast to have at least a 40-50% chance or higher of above-average temperatures for the month. The farther west one travels the higher the chances of above-average temperatures climb, which encompasses the mountains of central Colorado and the Western Slope.

Concurrently, the monthly precipitation outlook for September has approximately 75% of Colorado having a 33-40% chance of below-average precipitation and the western quarter of the state a 40-50% or greater chance of below-average precipitation.

The forecast for the last 10 days of August is promising as rain and cooler temperatures are expected.

However, because the summer was hot and dry, and lacked a good snowpack and summer-time rains, new precipitation and cooler temperatures might not be sufficient enough to help slow down the leaves from changing. But the rain could help increase the possibility of color intensity because the trees have fresh water to absorb.

Aspen trees, if stressed during a drought, can turn leaves mostly brown or dull yellows and oranges, affecting leaf-peeping viewers who enjoy the brilliance of the fall change.

The chances of a muted leaf-change and earlier change in 2025 are increased than in ideal years because of the factors listed above.

Colorado's fall colors starting early in 2025, where and when it's best to see the leaves change

Colorado's fall colors in the state's mountains are emerging a couple of weeks e...

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