Foliage Update: Colors quickly spreading south through New England

Fall is here, and for many people that means it’s time to start preparing for leaf peeping! Color has exploded across New England over the last week, with orange and reds spreading southward from the Canadian border into New York, Vermont and New Hampshire. Recent observations and forecast data suggest fall foliage and associated colors should continue to spread southward over the next week.

Interested in why leaves change color? Check out our original foliage post from early September.

The most recent observations and foliage reports suggest that moderate color is expanding throughout Northern New England. This is particularly true from the Adirondaks and Lake Placid region towards Northern Vermont and New Hampshire. Further south, in Central New York State (the Capitol region) and Vermont (the Green Mountains) color has expanded this week, but remains at less than half of peak.

Even further south, from the Catskills into the Hudson River Valley, leaves are just starting to change, with between 10 and 15 percent of color observed. Very few changes in leaf color have been observed in places like New York City and along the coastal plain.

Drought modulating foliage in some areas

Much of New England remains in a moderate drought, with some areas of severe drought. This is especially true the further east one travels, into parts of Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut. Colors in these regions have expanded in the past week, but remain somewhat dull – with more browns and dark reds.

In the next week, forecast model guidance suggests cooler temperatures and several opportunities for rainfall in New England. This should help lead to an expansion of color as we head towards peak foliage, in addition to reducing the levels of drought across the region. Accordingly, we anticipate colors to become more vibrant in the next week or two despite a dull start.

Most of Northern and Central New England should be cruising towards a peak color in about a week, during the weekend of October 2nd.

Areas further south, in Central and Southern New England, should see peak color a few days after that, likely more centered on the weekend of October 8th.

You can check out state-by-state current conditions by visiting this website.