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Fall Colors: The Annual Autumn Show Begins

Written by Meteorologist Dave Aguilera
It's that time of year! The annual changing of the leaves in the Colorado mountains has begun.

This year may get under way a little bit early because of the wet spring and early summer.

On average, the peak view window is the last week of September into the first week of fall and it looks like that may be on track for some of the high country areas.

Barring any huge cold fronts with strong wind and snow that could knock down leaves, here is an approximate time frame for good colors across the state.

If your planning to get a fall color drive soon you might want to first hit the northern mountains this week or next weekend. It looks like the northern mountains will begin hitting their best color show next week into the last week of September.

For the central mountains the last week of this month might be the peak time for viewing. And then into the first week of October the southern mountains start to inch into their peak season.

Remember, though, even if you are hitting a certain area before or after its peak the views can still be breathtaking. So from late September through early October you can't go wrong with a nice mountain drive.

Just make sure to check the forecast out before you go on CBS4 News or at CBSDenver.com.

Happy viewing!

LINK: U.S. Forest Service Fall Colors 2011 Website (Includes Maps, Gallery, Resources, Kids Page & Videos)

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