Fall foliage in Missouri

Missouri’s color is concentrated in the Ozarks. The southwest around Roaring River, Branson and Table Rock Lake turns in the third and fourth weeks of October; the Ozark National Scenic Riverways and the Mark Twain National Forest follow at the end of the month; the St. Francois Mountains and the eastern hills close in early November. Oaks and hickories dominate in bronze and gold, with maple, sassafras and dogwood for the reds. The Missouri and Mississippi river bluffs carry the northern half of the state’s late color.

Color somewhere in the state: October and November
Trees: oak, hickory, maple, sassafras and dogwood
Region: Great Lakes & Midwest

Those are the months when color is present somewhere in Missouri, from its highest ground to its lowest. Any one location changes over a much shorter period than that.

Why the timing shifts from year to year

Shortening days start the process, so most places in Missouri change at close to their usual time each year. Within the state, elevation and latitude account for most of the difference: higher and more northern ground generally changes first, and lower, sheltered ground last. Weather has more effect on how strong the color is than on when it appears. Cool nights and sunny days favor the reds, a dry summer mutes them, and a hard freeze or a windstorm can strip a slope in a day. What determines the timing goes through this in detail.

Nearby states

Fall color does not follow state lines. Missouri borders:

Timing for a specific place

This page describes a whole state, which is about as precise as a season can be described in words. Conditions at one overlook on one weekend are a narrower question, and that is the one Fallcast answers: an expected period of color for a specific location, with a confidence attached, updated through the season as the trees change. It is coming to iPhone this fall.

Questions, or somewhere in Missouri you would like covered? Write to fallcastapp@gmail.com.