Colorado meteorologist finds drought left tree leaves with 'barely any color'

Colorado's fall color season depends on more than just catching the right week. Denver meteorologist Kylie Bearse set out to find peak foliage near Steamboat but instead wondered whether the season had already passed, or whether drought left the trees too stressed to turn at all. In some areas, drought appeared to be the answer.

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In a video shared on TikTok, a Denver meteorologist described how drought had dulled foliage in some parts of Colorado this year. "We knew things weren't gonna be quite as vibrant," Bearse said. "What I didn't expect is that some of the trees are just straight up looking like they've already lost their leaves."

@kyliebearse From a Colorado Meteorologist on a paddleboard 🍂 #colorado #fallcolors #meteorologist ♬ original sound - KylieBearse | CO Meteorologist

What she first read as bad timing on the drive into Steamboat turned out, in her view, to be tree stress. "I was driving into Steamboat and I'm like, oh, man, I'm past peak. Like, what a bummer," she said. But once she got closer, she realized: "No, those trees have leaves. They are so unhealthy."

The leaves themselves, she said, showed the effects of drought. "They're so impacted by the drought that their leaves are a lot smaller. They're barely any color … A lot of these are just kind of turning a little bit brown and then falling off."

One commenter summed up that disappointment bluntly: "The leaves are brown, it's awful."

More background

Bearse said the contrast became obvious farther north, underscoring how differently drought can affect places that are not far apart. After the stressed trees near Steamboat, she said, "When I got into northern Routt County, I saw just a total difference. I mean, look at this. This is where the fall colors are. But the drought conditions aren't as bad up here, so you have a lot healthier trees."

She described the result as places looking "both past peak and not yet peak at the same time." In some cases, the leaves may never have had the moisture needed to develop strong color in the first place.

Even with roughly eight years of experience as a Denver meteorologist and a role in preparing the annual fall foliage forecast, she said the extent of the damage still surprised her: "I wasn't expecting the trees to look like this, despite knowing the drought conditions, just how bad it was."

Bearse added, "I will say, even your less vibrant year … It's so freaking beautiful."

Where can I learn more?

These stories offer more on the drought conditions that may be muting Colorado's fall colors. They cover emergency responses, water restrictions, and shrinking supplies across Colorado and the wider West.

• Colorado entered an emergency drought phase as record-low snowpack pushed rivers toward historic lows.

• In Aurora, officials threatened water shutoffs at schools as drought strained supplies.

• Across Colorado, mountain towns and ranches braced for shortages as emergency water shifted.

• Before summer began, Aurora's reservoirs fell to 55%, signaling tougher lawn restrictions ahead.

• Across the West, snow drought wiped out snowmelt reserves that communities usually depend on.

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