Why some leaves are changing color earlier than normal in Ohio
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Have you noticed the some of the trees are starting to change colors a bit, and dropping leaves already? If you thought this was a bit early, you are correct, and there is one main culprit, the lack of rain.
Trees are stressed
It is no shock that trees need water. With 3/4 of Ohio considered "abnormally dry" and 38% of the state under drought conditions (thru Aug. 27's drought monitor), we are in desperate need of rain.
In fact, some parts of the state are under a level 4 out of 4, or "exceptional drought" for the first time in the state's history since record-keeping for the drought started in 2000. This is putting a lot of stress on the trees, and that is what we are noticing with the leaves changing color to yellow or brown on some trees, and leaves falling off other trees already.
The summer months of June, July, and August were some one of the driest periods on record here in Columbus.
Looking back at data for Columbus, only two summers (June-August) have been drier, 1933 and 1930.
| Year | June | July | Aug | Total |
| 1933 | 1.71" | 0.85" | 2.07" | 4.63" |
| 1930 | 1.25" | 1.28" | 2.45" | 4.98" |
| 2024 | 1.26" | 1.83" | 1.98" | 5.07" |
This year, June was the eighth driest for June, July was the 18th driest for July, and August was the 30th driest for August. At 5.07 inches, it was the third driest summer on record, at 7.67 inches below normal.
Since we are getting closer and closer to the part of the year in the next few weeks that we typically start seeing leaf color changes, expect that this year will not recover to the level we all would hope for.
With the outlook for below normal rainfall expected for the next couple of weeks, expect that we will have a shorter, and less vibrant leaf peeping season this year.