Peak Fall is here: Wave of fall color to wash over southern half of Minnesota, including Twin Cites

Now is this is prime time to get out and enjoy the fall colors while you still can.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) -
Even on a day when Minnesota got its first taste of winter, Jerry Stoner and his son Corbin say Fort Snelling State Park is still filled with signs of fall.

"The colors are really close. It's definitely better than it was a week ago. In a big forest like this, it's beautiful. You can look down the trails and see the tunnel of red and orange. It's beautiful," said Stoner.

According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resource's latest Fall Color Finder, while the leaves in most of northern Minnesota in the maroon areas are past their peak, the areas in the southern half of the state, including the Twin Cities, are only at 50 to 75 percent peak, meaning this is prime time to get out and enjoy the fall colors in those parts of the state while you can.

Source: Minnestoa Department of Natural Resources Fall Color Finder

"It was stunning. I've seen a lot of color around the metro area that's just now starting to pop. Oh my gosh! So beautiful," said Val Cervenka from the Mn DNR.

The DNR also says our recent cold snap is helping accelerate the color change because sunny days and cold nights trap sugars in leaves that interact with another compound to produce those gorgeous reds and deep oranges that make the season so beautiful.

"I would just encourage people to get out this weekend and the coming week if you are thinking about it at all; just go ahead and do it before it does go away," said Cervenka.

Now that fall is about to be in full swing in the metro, Stoner says he plans to take advantage of the colors for as long as he can.
"Pretty soon it will be winter and if we don't get out and enjoy it, it will just be grey and white and nasty for four months, So you gotta get out and enjoy it while you can," said Stoner