The leaves are really turning quickly here now, and the views are quite spectacular.

This week's weather is cooperating with leaf peepers like me: clear blue skies and warm temperatures. In fact, today's forecast high of 86F/30C is a whopping 22F/12C over average, and is very close to breaking a 132-year-old record. With the lack of rain the last couple months, and southerly winds, red-flag (high fire danger) warnings are posted over most of the state.

(And this just a couple weeks after the state set the earliest record date for temperatures below 20F/-7C in late September )

This afternoon calls for a drive along the river, including an orchard visit and campfire stargazing session this evening.

Nice to finally get some cooler weather; low was 50F/10C this morning. We also had some rain Wednesday (.22 inches) and the high today should be in the low 70Fs/20Cs.

Starting Tuesday things will heat up into the upper 80F's and even lower to upper 90F's during the day through the end of next week. But outside should cool off better at night than during the summer. And the higher temperatures will be the exception and not the rule from now on.

Rather unusual that we are warmer than you, Glimmie. Our low temperature tonight is predicted to be around 70F/21C - 7F over the average high for this time of year.

Today is the 6th straight day of highs over 80F/27C - something extremely rare in October here (the last time was over 50 years ago). Tuesday's record high of 88F/31C broke a record that had stood since 1897.

Our fall colors are glorious, but today we have brutal winds approaching 50 mph/80 km/hr that are blowing down many of the leaves.

Rain tonight may help alleviate some dry conditions which have prompted burning bans/restrictions nearly statewide.

Glim, don't you find that, even though the days may be hot—while not my favourite type of weather—if it cools off comfortably at night, that helps so much?

We have been warmer than you too, Glimmie. The past few days have, with the heat index, been up in the mid-80s. Way too warm for October and fall hikes. Mind you, thankfully the nights have cooled down, so at least there is some relief.

Because of the high pressure dominating over the past few days, bringing with it clear skies, it has been lovely to regularly see Orion on my cool early morning walks. Jupiter continues to burn brightly in the west at that time, as the dawn begins to awaken.

If I recall, it's Thursday evening that the Moon and Jupiter are in conjunction. I don't know if I'll be seeing this, though, with heavier clouds setting in on Wednesday.

And tomorrow night is the full Hunter's Moon ... beautiful! I love that name, as well as the Harvest Moon. These evoke corn fields and crisp air with the scent of bonfire lingering always, and the sound of honking geese winging their way south. We have a -8 Iridium flare at 18:55, which should be lovely, with the bright moon not risen quite yet.

Our leaves are turning more and more, and are a bit brighter now that the sun has shone the past six days. Yet, the early-turners are already beginning to fall, whilst some trees have hardly begun their colour-changing. Lots of autumn ahead yet.

Temperatures are to become much more seasonal beginning Wednesday , with rain in the forecast through Saturday, I believe. The lawns seem to sprout up all of a sudden after that much rain. Will be time to pull the ol' lawn mower out again early next week, I'm thinking.

This afternoon calls for a drive along the river, including an orchard visit and campfire stargazing session this evening.

Sounds lovely, as always. Specifically add to that a crunchy honeycrisp apple from the orchard, and we're all set.

The leaves here are turning, it's all very pretty We had a week long heat wave at the end of September, then the temperature suddenly dropped, and now it's evened out to around 15C. It's really windy though, I love all the leaves but I'm getting annoyed at them all winding up in my hair

I can't wait for it to get properly cold, me and my mum have made a deal to not use the heating until November, so I anticipate a lot of tea and house socks

Specifically add to that a crunchy honeycrisp apple from the orchard, and we're all set.

As you wish.

Our long stretch of incredible weather appears to be ending, so I made one last pilgrimage out of town today. Among the treats consumed was a very crunchy honeycrisp from last Sunday's orchard visit.

The notes for today's visit will record this as a typical autumn state park visit: the stuff memories are made of. Pleasant yet crisp weather, with a big bright Hunter's Moon lighting up the surroundings through trees bare of leaves. There was plenty of fire (including the Mystical kind ) and a -5 Iridium flare. But clouds moved in later on, and it was raining shortly after I got back home.

It's actually been rather dry here the last 2 months so the rain is welcome.

As always, jo, I enjoy your description of Orion and Jupiter during your early-morning walks.

I can't wait for it to get properly cold...

Ditto! Even after this week of record-setting heat, the snow really can't be too far off.

Glim, don't you find that, even though the days may be hot—while not my favourite type of weather—if it cools off comfortably at night, that helps so much?

Yes, LOTS. It has been cooling off better at night than it would have a month ago or more. But today reached 92F/33C so it will be warm until after midnight. But only one more day of heat and then we cool off 10F-15F degrees again.

After November there should not be any more temps here over 90F/32.2C.

The weather here has finally cooled down to typical Minnesota October weather. This morning it was only like 49 degrees F where I am, and I only wore a sweatshirt over my t-shirt. Fortunately, I don't usually go outside often in my grade.

We did however, have surprising warm temperatures earlier this week. It felt like early September or late August, and I was able to wear a t-shirt comfortably.

The leaves are just gorgeous, although our leaves from our trees have mostly blown away for someone else to rake them up. I just wish we were able to visit Duluth, where my brother is taking college classes right now. I just think the scenery would be beautiful in spite of the cold.

It's gotten pretty cold here, and golden autumn is coming to its end, though there are still some remnantes of it, but in about a week or two the leaves will have all fallen from the trees I'm not a very big fan of the cold, so I'm not looking foward to the days ahead. It ranges from about 5 to 7 C these days, and usually its cloudly, though the sun does pop out with its still warm rays every now and then It hasn't been very rainy this week, for which I am glad, I was getting so sick of the rain. Autumn rain is nice, in small quantities

I just wish we were able to visit Duluth, where my brother is taking college classes right now. I just think the scenery would be beautiful in spite of the cold.

As it happens, I drove through Duluth last Thursday afternoon. I was surprised at how much color was left, considering that many trees to the south of there (and the north; I'm in Silver Bay now) were bare.

But the last few days have been very blustery and windy. I suspect few leaves are left. The windchills have dropped into the 20sF at times, and there are reports of scattered snowflakes in the area. This is much more like the "gales of November" Gordon Lightfoot sang about in "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."

Such a dramatic change from those 80s just days ago!

Lake Effect Rain (don't know if that's the proper term, but it is now ) here.

I was freezing and soaked in German class, fortunately my laptop was spared, as was my homework It's much sunnier now though, but don't worry it'll probably rain again within the next 24 hours.

Glad your classwork and laptop survived!

But what is this 'rain' of which you speak? After an amazing surplus of precipitation in the first half of the year, it's been relatively dry here the last few months (though nothing like the drought conditions in areas like Texas).

Today was a glorious autumn day, partly cloudy with a high around 65F/18C - perfect for a walk in the park. I noticed that while many trees are bare of leaves here (and peak fall color has long since passed into memory), there are still a few trees full of green out there, along with some golden birches and rusty-brown oaks just approaching their best color.

But cooler weather is coming, and one of the TV weathermen mentioned it might be 5 months or so before we have temperatures in the 60s again.

*raises a toast to Autumn*

After November there should not be any more temps here over 90F/32.2C.

That sounds so unusual to us Northerners, as for us it is, most likely, "after November there should not be any more temps here over 32F/0C".

I was freezing and soaked in German class, fortunately my laptop was spared, as was my homework

Whew, glad that important stuff was protected. Last week, we had torrential rain on Wednesday night, I think it was, and our son couldn't even get to his university class in the evening (he lives 10 minutes off-campus), it was raining so very hard. In fact, a floor on one of the residences ended up being flooded. Actually, wolf, that was the same day you posted. Probably the same storm.

But cooler weather is coming, and one of the TV weathermen mentioned it might be 5 months or so before we have temperatures in the 60s again.

Love hearing that!

As I look out my window, a huge tree diagonally across the street from us has already turned yellow and mostly fallen. Oddly enough, it's usually a brilliant orange, but the colours were more muted this year, we found. Another large tree nearby is only beginning to turn, having much of its greenery still intact. Then another younger tree, just in front of those two, is a beautiful brighter red. It began a few weeks ago when the tips began changing colour, gradually moving from the top to the bottom, and now there are just a few base branches that are only beginning to blush. It's been quite the lovely picture watching the progress. Our front yard crimson maple is only beginning its autumn colouring, but then, it tends to be rather late every year.

On Thursday, we could be getting our first frost! The temperatures will drop to just below freezing at night, with a highs around 9C/48F, which has been our low the past couple of weeks.

Actually, wolf, that was the same day you posted. Probably the same storm.

That wouldn't surprise me actually, it rains here often (twice a week give or take), but that day it was especially hard. (No flooding here that I'm aware of though ).

We might be in for a bit of snow this week, I have a feeling though it's not gonna stick if it does hit as it's going to be mixed with more rain... Well at least no one said hail yet

Finally cooled off this week. High temperatures for the last 5 days in Fahrenheit have been: 84.2, 85.5, 75.9, 67.3, and today was 69.4.

Feels good to be able to sleep under the covers again instead of on top of them.