PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Summer heat and humidity remain as Portland and much of the Pacific Northwest are just weeks out from seeing fall foliage.
A few pops of color are already starting to show around Portland as drought and high heat puts stress on some trees. These varieties of trees will start showing fall colors much sooner. However, the majority of trees in Oregon will start seeing the fall transition depending on elevation.
Higher-elevation locations are expected to see some color change by the middle and end of next week. The higher elevations of the Cascades and Coastal Range will start seeing the pop of color against the deep greens of the Oregon’s evergreens by September 14. The higher elevations provide cooler temperatures and in some cases more shade due to hillside. It’s this combination and the decreasing daylight hours that help speed up the color change process in the mountainous locations.
The second big wave of fall foliage isn’t expected to arrive in Portland or much of the Willamette Valley until late September. Leaf peepers can expect to see a few more trees starting to change as early as the last two week of September. Typically, the ash trees and some maples start giving up their shades of green first around Portland and Vancouver…