Here’s When Northern Illinois Should Hit Peak Fall Colors

Wouldn't it be nice if somebody would just publish a schedule every year telling us exactly when the leaves are going to change colors, along with where we should go to see the best show?

That would be great. No more guessing. No more driving around looking at mostly green trees. Just pick a Saturday, hop in the car and enjoy the fall colors.

Unfortunately, we haven't quite developed that kind of technology yet. So, for now, we're going to have to take Northern Illinois' fall foliage one season at a time.

And the good news is that the forecast for this year looks pretty promising.

As of this week, the leaves in Northern Illinois are beginning to turn, but we're not at peak color yet. According to the latest Illinois foliage forecast, the northern part of the state should reach its peak roughly between October 18 and October 25.

aerial photography of gray concrete road between assorted-color trees

Those Dates Include The Rockford Area

The current forecast has Winnebago County reaching peak color around October 18th-20th, along with neighboring Boone, Ogle, Lee, Stephenson and several other northern Illinois counties.

If you're thinking about making a fall-color road trip, that means the next couple of weeks should be prime time.

The forecast gets a little later as you head south. Much of central Illinois is expected to peak between October 21 and 27, while southern Illinois won't reach its peak until late October or early November.

There's another reason to be optimistic because experts say this year's weather has set us up for what could be a particularly nice display. Warm, sunny days followed by cool, nonfreezing nights are ideal for producing brilliant fall colors, and the substantial rainfall Illinois received over the summer should help the trees as well.

brown leaves on ground during daytime

There Is A Catch To All Of This, Of Course

These are forecasts, not appointments with the trees. A particularly warm spell, an early freeze or some other weather curveball can move the schedule around.

So, no, we don't have the foolproof fall-color calendar many of us have been hoping for.

But for Northern Illinois, the calendar currently says to start looking around October 18, and keep looking through the following week.

That's about as close as we're going to get to a reservation with Mother Nature.