If You Love Fall Foliage, It Only Gets Better From Here

Even before fall officially begins, there are areas already experiencing amazing fall foliage, including regions of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Recent photos from two ski resorts in Colorado, Purgatory Resort in the city of Durango and Crested Butte Mountain Ski Resort in the city of Crested Butte, show this. [gallery size="large" ids="97385,97384,97380,97383,97382,97381"] The colors are so vivid and beautiful, and more colors are expected to show across Colorado and the nation over the next few weeks, heading through fall. Typically, fall colors begin to show in the Rockies, and for other northern or higher elevation locations, in September. And as the days get shorter, continuing into fall, colors start to show at lower elevations and areas farther south. Colors across the Rockies begin to peak in mid October. [gallery size="large" columns="2" ids="97390,97389,97388,97387"] One factor that can impact fall foliage and fall colors is drought. According to Climate Central, "Severe drought during the growing season tends to cause trees to begin to turn color early and not last as long; it can even lead them to skip color all together, browning and falling before fall even really gets started. More moderate drought, on the other hand, can actually delay the onset of fall color." And while drought has been present across parts of the Rockies this summer, it doesn't seem to be slowing down the beautiful colors from showing. So, if you love fall foliage, get ready, because here come the beautiful colors. For WeatherNation, I am Meteorologist Marcus Walter