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Why Seattle’s fall leaves colors were delayed

Blame the weather.

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It should be a crime to have to wait so long.

Yeah, you’re not getting it mixed up — fall colors did come a lot later this year. Predictions usually peg our peak fall colors for early October, but Seattle was still plenty green until just recently.

There are a few factors that can delay the timing of fall colors. Let’s see if any of them feel... familiar.

Essentially, each of these things slow the trees metabolism and how quickly they can break down chlorophyll (y’know, the green stuff).

But Seattle is also typically a much cooler, wetter area of the nation, which is why we also normally get to see the splendors of autumn a bit earlier than our southern neighbors.

Here are some recommendations for catching those colors now as we finally reach our peak.

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