Spearfish Canyon Color Report

Sept. 16, 2024

Color Change: 45% (Moderate)

Leaf Drop: Low   

Spearfish Canyon is currently at 45% of total fall foliage color change. The most noticeable areas of change in the deciduous trees are at the beginning of the byway and towards the end. Watch for trees taking on a golden hue on the western side of the Canyon near Split Rock and in the higher elevations at Savoy. Reds are emerging in sumac around Maurice Intake and in the ivy after Victoria.

I’d love some help identifying the moth I captured in my photos near Roughlock Falls. Please email me at SpearfishCanyonReports@gmail.com

Today is hotter in temperature than normal for this time of year. The hot and dry summer we’ve had made me wonder what we can expect for weather the rest of September. My thanks to David Stradling, Chief Meteorologist with KOTA Territory News, who shared some weather statistics and fall predictions I’m now sharing with you.

KOTA Meteorologist David confirmed my suspicions, Summer 2024 has been warmer compared to Summer 2023. Our average temperature in Spearfish in 2024 was 81.8 degrees, while we had a high of 80.8 degrees in 2023.

This year (2024) has been much drier in Spearfish compared to last year (2023) in terms of moisture and snowfall. I included more weather statistics in my Sept. 16 post at SpeafishCanyonReports.com

At the end of last year’s leaf reporting season, I theorized that cooler, wetter year meant lesser/muter fall colors in the Canyon. If that is true, as we move into the next two weeks of September, we should see bright, bold foliage. Meteorologist David predicts the remainder of September will be warmer and drier than average, which may allow me to test my theory. We’ll see what nature has in store!

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