Summer is nearly over and cooler temps are hopefully on the horizon, meaning vibrant displays of fall colors will soon appear. If you’re planning a fall foliage tour this season, the team at AccuWeather has all the meteorological insight you need to find the best spots for leaf-peeping around the country, and this year’s foliage forecast reveals some surprising peak potential.
Weather patterns affect the timing and vibrancy of fall colors, and we all know how this year’s been going. According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist and Long-Range Expert Paul Pastelok, wet weather from late spring through the middle of summer boosts brilliant displays. Dry, sunny days followed by cooler nights throughout September also enhance vibrancy. Conversely, drought and extended heat can lead to dull colors, as trees are under more stress and shed their leaves early. Long hot spells across the southern U.S., for example, have stressed trees from Texas to Alabama and north to Illinois and Indiana, so Pastelok says that leaves in that region could be more dull this year.
Factoring in these recent weather conditions, AccuWeather predicts that the best time to see fall foliage in New England, the Upper Midwest and the Rocky Mountains will be in late September and early October. Peak colors are expected across most of the Northeast, Appalachians, Ohio Valley and the Midwest by mid-October, and during the second half of October for most of Washington, Oregon and California. The central U.S. to the Gulf Coast and part of the coastal mid-Atlantic will see some color later in October and during the first weeks of November, but not nearly as vibrant as other regions.
While the Northeast will be spectacular as always, Pastolek says the West—notably aspen groves in Colorado and Utah — will be particularly pretty this year. "The aspens should come out looking really good in late September to mid-October," said Pastelok. So for the most stunning leaf-peeping options, think outside the New England box and see what the foliage scene out West has to offer.
Check out the full fall foliage forecast at accuweather.com.