New Hope Weather Observer: Fall 2024 Could Be Warmest on Record
The start of fall is proving to be a warm one this year. A weather observer in New Hope said it’s shaping up to be a near-record breaking September.
Steve Reckers, who records rain totals and tracks temperatures from his weather station at home for the National Weather Service, said it’s the second-driest September on record. He’s been tracking temperatures since the 1950s. It’s also the hottest.
“Eighty degrees was the average high in September. Never, going back to the late 50s, has it been that warm,” Reckers said.
Warm Weather Impact on Plants, Trees
Up in Maple Grove, Lynde Greenhouse is filled with rows and rows of chrysanthemums. The colorful flowers are classic doorstep staples in Minnesota.
“If you want to enjoy them longer, you get them when they’re not as open,” explained Amy Langhus, a retail associate at Lynde Greenhouse.
Langhus helps customers change with the seasons. She said mums bloom in sunlight, but once they’re open that’s it.
“When will it be in full beauty, full openness- that is just dependent on the weather, how hot it is and how much sun we’re getting at the time,” Langhus said.
Mums of many colors on display at Lynde Greenhouse in Maple Grove.
With the warm temperatures, fall looks different for plants and those who tend to them. Langhus recommends people adjust accordingly, especially with things like big trees and bushes.
“It just really becomes important to keep an eye on our plants and make sure they’re getting enough water,” she said.
While the warm temperatures make the outdoors pleasant for us, Reckers said it’s not great for fall tree color.
Fall colors are changing at a slower rate than last year, according to the Minnesota DNR’s Fall Color Finder. That map also predicts when we’ll see the colors peak across the state.
Fortunately, neighbors can make up for some of that lack of color at Lynde. Mums can provide a pop, alongside other classic fall decorations.
“People get excited about having the displays of pumpkins. We have some corn stocks, we have a few hay or straw bales,” Langhus listed.
