It will be a race against time to see the fall colors in Reno before wind speeds pick up. Wind gusts will range from 20-30mph on Wednesday, and 25-35 on Thursday. An area of low pressure will move in from the northwest over the weekend, dropping temperatures, kicking up our winds, and giving parts of Northern Nevada and California a chance for rain. The rain will be scattered and the possibility of thunder, is practically zero. Besides the wind, we have a couple more days of nice hiking weather in the Truckee Meadows. It will be cooler over the weekend, with rain chances mainly north of Reno.
A dry stretch of weather leads to muted fall colors, while moisture can make the colors more vibrant. Temperature plays a role as well. Crisp mornings leads to more vibrant colors, while warm weather, especially at night leads to muted colors. The sun angle plays the biggest role with fall colors.
During the growing season, the sun angle is much higher leading to a high production of chlorophyll. As the sun angle lowers, chlorophyll stops being produced. Chlorophyll gives plants their green color during the growing season, and is also responsible for providing them with food. Green is what we see on the outside of the plant, but behind the green are a variety of colors which become visible during the fall season.
