Kaira Hakola, left, and Ashtyn Schultz ride their bikes down West B Street in Iron Mountain. Fall colors are expected to peak about three weeks from now in the Upper Peninsula. (Theresa Proudfit/Daily News photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — Fall colors are expected to peak near the end of September across the Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin as the National Weather Service predicts a fairly typical autumn.

The Climate Prediction Center calls for a 43% chance of above-average temperatures from September through November, with a 24% chance of below normal. At Iron Mountain-Kingsford, the model places the average at 45.8 degrees for the three-month period.

Normal precipitation trends are predicted.

The fall color outlook comes from smokymountains.com, which offers a national map to help travelers time their trips. Colors in the U.P. are expected to transition from partial to near-peak between Sept. 14 and Sept. 21. By Oct. 5, they may be past their peak.

For Labor Day, the unofficial start of fall, chilly weather is in store.

“A robust cold front will drop south out of Canada and bring quite a wet and dreary day to much of the northern tier of the country from Montana to Michigan,” AccuWeather meteorologist Mary Gilbert said. “In addition to wet weather during the day, chilly conditions will quickly filter in behind the front.”

Locally, the NWS says rain is likely Sunday with a high near 68. Labor Day should be partly sunny with a high near 60 and a chance of rain. Showers are likely again on Tuesday and Wednesday, with highs only in the mid-50s.

In August, temperatures at the Iron Mountain-Kingsford Wastewater Treatment Plant averaged 67.8 degrees, about 2 degrees above normal. Rainfall measured 3.57 inches, a fraction above the historical average.

For the meteorological summer — June through August — it was warmer than normal every month. July had the hottest average at 71.5 degrees, nearly 4 degrees above the norm.

It also was a wet summer. The rainfall total of 15.89 inches was more than 5 inches above average.

The highest temperature last month was 88 degrees Aug. 10 and the lowest was 44 degrees Aug. 5.

The Weather Channel expects higher-than-normal temperatures throughout all of the United States from September through November, although warmer temperatures are most likely in the Southwest and the Northeast.

The U.S. Drought Monitor shows no areas of concern in the Upper Peninsula or the northern third of Wisconsin. There are abnormally dry conditions in several counties west of Green Bay, Wis.

The first day of autumn is Tuesday, Sept. 22.

Jim Anderson can be reached at 906-774-3500, ext. 226, or janderson@ironmountaindailynews.com.