Sweater weather isn’t quite here just yet, but beach days are still hanging around — despite the autumnal equinox on Monday, warm summer-like temperatures ranging anywhere from in the high 60s to mid 70s are expected for the week ahead as fall color begins to pop across the region.
Centerville Township resident Cindy Landers and her friends made their way to Good Harbor Beach to go swimming Monday. Landers said at this time of year, it’s a treat for the locals to go out and enjoy the beaches that aren’t nearly as crowded as they could be in the summer. For those that work in the hospitality industry, including Landers who works for both the Homestead Resort and Leelanau Farmers Markets, summer is the busiest season, so she likes to head to the beach as often as she can, even if it’s during the fall.
“When it’s September and most people have to go and be back in school or work and things like that, I jokingly call it ‘secret summer’ and my friends some- times call it ‘local summer,’” Landers said. “We love to go to the beach every week, have bonfires, and catch up with everyone for the week. We keep doing it for as long as we possibly can. One year we kept swimming until October, and one of my friends actually went in in November. There’s times when the air temperature is actually cooler than the water. It’s almost like such a bonus and a treat for those of us who live here.”
Landers acknowledged that temperatures have been “pretty warm” for this late in the month, noting the larger than normal crowd at the last summer farmers market in Glen Arbor on Tuesday.
“Usually in September it dies out, but we still had dozens of vendors and hundreds of customers which is very unique because of the weather I think,” she said. “It still feels like summer. It’s like the Beach Boys ‘endless summer.’ That’s us right now, but we all know what’s coming. We’ll take it while we can, that’s how Michiganders are… September is not to be given up on. It’s just a beautiful time and locals can really enjoy it and it’s not nearly as crowded. It just kind of reminds us all what being here is all about.”
Peak fall color times, which vary every year, ultimately depends on how drastically weather conditions can change. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, the timing of color changes and the onset of falling leaves is primarily regulated by the calendar as nights become longer. Other environmental influences like temperature, rainfall, and food supply are as unvarying as the steadily increasing length of night during autumn.
Sean Christensen, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Gaylord, said while they anticipate there could be a few cloudy days in the five-day forecast with chances of rain showers on Sunday and Monday, daytime temperatures will continue to linger in the 70s. Christensen said with the combination of warm days and cooler nights, the region is likely on track to see vibrant fall colors in the weeks ahead.
“For northern Michigan, our average high (at this time) is in the upper 60s and low 70s… So it’s a little bit above average, but nothing record setting or totally abnormal,” Christensen said. “It’s definitely not common, but we do see warm stretches like this in the fall… I’m not seeing any dramatic cool down or any active weather anytime soon. Obviously we can get some rain here and there, but as of right now, it’s looking like a nice stretch of weather to get things done before the snow falls.”
Seeing that the Leelanau Peninsula is heavily defined and surrounded by water, Christensen said the close proximity to the lake likely means that we will also see a slight delay in fall color by a week or so compared to inland areas like Gaylord or Pellston.
“When a lot of areas in the interior northern lower get frost, that warmer body of water in the fall actually protects the Leelanau peninsula and areas close to the water. It will locally bring the temperatures up a little bit and prevent frost from forming, and it also keeps really hot days cool for this time of year… While you could see a delay (of color) by a week or so, that’s very typical up here in northern Michigan,” he said.
