October 19, 2005

Many of The Foliage Network spotters have summed up this foliage season with two words...very strange. It all started in September with temperatures that felt summer-like in many locations. It is believed that these warm temperatures delayed the onset of fall color. Then came October in which much of Northeast experienced record rainfall, with severe flooding in some locations. This was brought on by a very slow moving low pressure system that crawled up the Atlantic coast. This system finally moved off-shore last weekend but even that was not uneventful. As the low moved eastward, high winds affected much of the Northeast with wind gusts in excess of 50 mph in many areas. As a result of all these factors, we have seen a foliage season that is behind schedule and the colors are not as vibrant as in past years.

Peak foliage conditions can be found in much of inland Maine, northern New Hampshire, much of central and eastern Vermont, northern New York, the Southern Tier of New York and parts of northeast Pennsylvania. High color (61% - 80%) change is being reported in areas surrounding those reporting peak as well as in the higher elevations of the Berkshire Mountains in western Massachusetts. Peak has now passed in northwest Maine, extreme northern New Hampshire, portions of northern and central Vermont and the higher elevations in the Adirondack Mountains of northern New York. Elsewhere in the Northeast, the foliage change is mostly moderate (31% - 60%).

The heavy winds of last weekend brought down a good number of leaves in much of the Northeast, especially in those areas at, near, or just passed peak. In those locations, leaf drop is high. Elsewhere, leaf drop is low to moderate.

Looking for a place to stay? Please visit our Places to Stay and Foliage Spotters sections to find great accommodations!

This information provided by Marek D. Rzonca, The Foliage Network.

Next report: Saturday, October 22, 2005