Above average warmth has once again arrived in south central Iowa as the fall colors are entering peak viewing across the area. The National Weather Service has forecasted highs in the mid-to-upper 70s on Saturday and closer to 80 on Sunday and even Monday. The most recent fall colors report from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources showed the estimated peak of the fall color change to land this weekend.

While drought conditions have now spread to nearly three-fourths of the state, Marion, Warren, and Jasper Counties remain abnormally dry in the latest update from the U.S. Drought Monitor. The dry autumn has muted some of the colors on trees, however. A bit of a cooldown remains on the horizon by the middle of next week, according to the National Weather Service, however, little-to-no rainfall remains the forecast towards the end of October.