Every New Englander knows that one of the best parts of fall is the beautiful foliage of the region.
Unfortunately, not all years are equal, and although 2024 was expected to see bright autumn colors, those colors have been more patchy and short-lived than expected as an unexpected weather pattern thwarted predictions.
An early forecast from the Smoky Mountains predicting that most of the region would have peak foliage this week, the week of Oct. 7.
While areas such as the Berkshires and White Mountains are now seeing vibrant hues, many others are already seeing dried, brown leaves.
Why is New England seeing a shorter foliage season?
Many unexpected weather conditions have caused a change from the original fall foliage forecast. Jim Salge, foliage expert at Yankee Magazine, told the Burlington Free Press that the main problem is dryness.
New England saw a combination of little to no rain in August and September followed by high temperatures, with temperatures climbing above 80 degrees late in the season in high altitudes like New Hampshire’s White Mountains.
That’s unusual, Salge said, saying in past drought years, such as 2020, the drought happened in the spring and summer, not during foliage season.
“Experts haven’t seen a streak of dry weather like this since New England was reforested,” Salge said. “And then we had a streak of hot days that was rather unprecedented as well.”
This unprecedented dry streak lead to drought conditions, which pushes trees to go through the color-changing process earlier.
“Normally drought pushes us to brief and bright as long as it falls within a range that is tolerable to the trees,” Salge said of the dry conditions.
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The weather has also pushed some leaves to turn rusty, versus the bright colors forecasters were hoping for. Salge said Smuggler’s Notch in Vermont and Franconia Notch in New Hampshire both have reports of the colors being duller this year.
That, he think, came down to the quality of soil in those places, which isn’t something previously factored into foliage predictions.
Areas like Smuggler’s Notch and Franconia’s Notch, which have really rocky, thin, free draining soil couldn’t hold onto to any water to support the color in the forest. Versus, in areas where there was a richer, more organic soil, the trees had some moisture to pull from.
In those spots, Salge is predicting better color.
“There are there are going to be patches of absolutely brilliant color this year and there are going to be areas where it’s just not,” Salge explained.
To see color this weekend, Salge recommended heading to the rolling hills of Vermont, the southern White Mountains, or the Berkshires.
Katie Landeck contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: New England’s fall foliage is hitting peak quicker than expected
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