September 16, 2024
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.
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.
Color Change: 45% (Moderate)
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 dotted 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. We received 7.44” more moisture last year (January 1-August 31, 2023) than this year. Here’s the details: Since January 1, 2024 we have received 17.84” of moisture. Comparing January 1 through August 31, 2023 we had 25.28” of moisture.
Snowfall tells the same story. Last year (2023) was 21” snowier than this year! The specifics on that are 57.3” of snowfall in 2024 compared with 78.3” in 2023. Read my September 9th, 2024 report at SpearfishCanyonReports.com for information on how moisture affects the waterfalls in Spearfish Canyon.
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!