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Even though it isn't official (at least according to the calendar, anyway) I guess it really IS fall in Minnesota.

The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has affected just about every aspect of our lives, or so it seems. But it hasn't stopped Mother Nature, and much as it pains me to admit, summer IS gone and fall is here in Minnesota. Okay, not officially, mind you-- that won't happen until September 22nd. But the weather has already turned cool (it was 41 degrees downtown in Rochester Friday morning!), NFL football is back, and now, the Minnesota DNR and Explore Minnesota have released their first fall color report of the fall. And they say we should be in for some brilliant fall colors here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes this year.

Val Cervenka, the forest health program consultant in the Minnesota DNR’s forestry division, states that “overall color this year should be especially lovely if there are sunny days and chilly but not freezing nights as we get more into the season.” Don't miss the fall color show!

Right now, things are JUST starting to turn, although I've spotted a few trees in our neck of the woods already displaying some brilliant fall colors-- like that maple tree I noticed at Soldiers Field Park earlier this week. Overall, though, fall color is between 0 and 10% throughout most of Minnesota this week.

Even along the North Shore, where the colors usually pop much earlier than here in southeast Minnesota, fall colors are still only at about 25% of their peak. Which means there's still plenty of time to get out and enjoy Mother Nature's handiwork yet this fall-- before Old Man Winter comes calling and sends us all back inside. You can check the full Minnesota Fall Color Finder HERE. And keep scrolling, too, for some awesome images that truly mean fall here in the North Star State.

Listen to Curt St. John from 6 to 10 a.m. on Quick Country 96.5
and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 103.9 The Doc

GET IN THE MOOD: 10 Images That Scream Fall in Minnesota

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