White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire during autumn. (Source: iStock/Getty Images/DenisTangneyJr)
Following a summer in which many states sat sizzling under sustained heat waves, many are ready for the crisper, cooler air of autumn to arrive. And, along with it, the kaleidoscopic display that Mother Nature treats us to amid the changing of the seasons.
Now that the Labor Day holiday is safely in our rearview, it won’t be long before leaf-peepers are on the hunt for the best places in which to view intensely vibrant fall foliage.
What you may not realize is that the entire year’s weather patterns affect how colorful or dull an area’s leaves may be as they make ready to fall from their branches. Luckily, AccuWeather experts are able to advise where leaf lovers should set their sights during the harvest season.
Wet weather conditions from late spring through the mid-summer is the first condition needed for a brilliant burst of fall foliage, explained AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist and Long-Range Expert Paul Pastelok. Once September arrives, dry and sunny days followed by cooler nights can help to enhance the richness of leaves’ autumn hues.
Conversely, extremely hot summer weather and drought can cause a region’s leaves to put on a dull display during fall, since such conditions stress trees and prompt them to shed their leaves early. The occurrence of an early frost can also cause leaves to die off and dislodge ahead of their time.
AccuWeather has created two U.S. maps to indicate where fall foliage colors are forecast to be the most and least dazzling this year, as well as when leaves are likely to achieve their utmost vibrancy from region to region.
Autumn leaf with the shape of an airplane cut out. (iStock/Getty Images Plus/Nikolas_jkd)
Where and When To Catch Colorful Fall Foliage
The United States’ northern tier and areas across the Rocky Mountains are predicted to peak in early autumn, while regions situated further south will do the same later in the fall season.
AccuWeather’s predictions indicate:
- New England, the Upper Midwest and the Rocky Mountains will offer up peak leaf colors from late September through early October.
- By mid-October, leaf colors will reach their zenith across most of the Northeast, Appalachians, Ohio Valley and the Midwest. The second half of October is also when most of the West Coast—Washington, Oregon and California—will boast their most brilliant leaf colors.
- In the nation’s center, parts of mid-Atlantic coast and across the Gulf Coast, the most vibrant fall foliage won’t appear until late October and the first weeks of November. Although this year, parts of this region are unlikely to see the radiant displays expected in other parts of the country.
This summer’s prolonged heat waves from Texas to Alabama and northward into Illinois and Indiana has put a lot of stress on trees in these zones. And, any severe weather events to hit in autumn’s first half could blow leaves from their fraught boughs just as they would have hit their peak period.
"On top of that, we could see a big change in October where some cold air can come down causing an early frost," Pastelok said. He predicts that about a dozen states stand to witness duller fall colors compared to other parts of the country.
"The best places to check out the fall foliage this season is [sic] probably going to be across the Northeast, the Great Lakes in the upper Midwest and then even the West," Pastelok added.
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