It’s that time of year again – leaf-peeping season! Our leaves have begun to change and we’re already seeing some beautiful colors pop across parts of the region. Many are concerned about the drought conditions we’ve been experiencing and how that will impact foliage this year. So I’ll fill you in on the good news: there will still be plenty of vibrant color to soak up this season. In fact, northern New England is not in severe drought. And southern New England has seen some good soaking rain lately, which has definitely helped put a dent in the deficit and give our trees a solid drink of H20.
Per NewEngland.com…”Drier years tend to be dominated by red. While yellow and orange pigments are in the leaves all year, masked by the green chlorophyll, red is only produced in fall. The anthocyanins responsible for this are fed by the remaining sugars in the leaves.” I can say I’ve already seen this start to pan out in southern New England, with random patchwork of bright reds popping here and there on the maples especially.
Of course, the key to bright fall colors are warm, sunny days and cool, crisp nights. Tonight will drop into the 30s and 40s regionwide and a blue sky day coupled with highs in the 60s tomorrow will be a great kickstart for more colors to start to appear. Typically, peak foliage season runs from late September to early November from north to south, and so far, things are looking to be on schedule…at least in the north.
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So if you’re looking to head out this weekend and catch some colors – definitely head north. The far North Country, particularly from the northeast Kingdom of Vermont to Coos County New Hampshire, and into the northwest mountains of Maine are spots where moderate color is already in place! Snap a pic and send it to our team: weather@necn.com. We’d love to see your photos!
