October 3 , 2007
October has arrived, and with it, an abundance of fall color in parts of the Northeast. Peak foliage is being reported in an area stretching from the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, through extreme northern New Hampshire into northern Maine. Peak conditions can also be found in the higher elevations of the Adirondack Mountains in northeastern New York.
Maine is offering a mix of foliage conditions ranging from low color (11% - 30% change) along the coast to the peak conditions already mentioned in northern Maine. The balance of the northern half of Maine is reporting high color (61% - 80% change) and the southern half (away from the coast) has moderate color (31% - 60% change).
As with Maine, New Hampshire's foliage is ranging from low color in the southern part of the state to peak conditions to the north. Moderate to high color can be found in the northern half of the state. Now is a great time to enjoy one of the most beautiful foliage drives, the Kancamagus Highway (a.k.a, "The Kanc") that runs between Lincoln, NH and Conway, NH on Route 112. This highway snakes through the heart of the White Mountain National Forest and offers spectacular views. Having driven this road many times, I can certainly say it is a must see.
The mountains of Vermont are coming alive with the colors of autumn. All along the Green Mountains, foliage color is ranging from moderate to high color. Extreme western Vermont is still reporting low color. Vermont's Northeast Kingdom is a good bet right now for leaf peeping.
New York is truly running the spectrum as conditions range from little to no change, to peak foliage conditions. As previously mentioned, peak has arrived in the higher elevations of the Adirondack Mountains in northeast New York. High color can be found in the lower portions of the mountain range. The foothills of the Adirondacks are reporting moderate color, as are portions of New York's southern tier and the Catskill Mountains in southeast New York. Elsewhere, the Mohawk and Hudson Valleys and much of western New York are experiencing low color. Downstate New York is still in the little to no change range.
Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island are reporting mostly low color change. The exceptions being coastal locations where there is little to no change and portions of Connecticut's Litchfield Hills and the southern Berkshire in Massachusetts where moderate color has emerged.
The foliage in Pennsylvania is beginning to pick up in the northern part of the state. Much of the rest of the state is reporting low color with the exception of southeast Pennsylvania where there is still little to no change. I would expect the Pocono and Endless Mountains in the northeast part of the state to begin to show moderate color shortly.
Finally, in New Jersey, the only color being reported is in the northwestern part of the state. Here, low color predominates with the exception of some of the higher elevations in the northwest corner where moderate color is being reported.
Leaf drop, for the most part, is following the color progression. Many of the areas reporting high to peak color are experiencing moderate leaf drop. Areas with moderate color have low leaf drop and all other areas have very low leaf drop.
This information provided by Marek D. Rzonca, The Foliage Network.
Next Report: Saturday, October 6, 2007
