PORTLAND, Maine — Fall is back, bringing with it jack-o’-lanterns, football, pumpkin spice, and, in some parts of the country, particularly vibrant foliage.
Leaves across the northern United States are starting to turn orange, yellow and red, prompting many leaf lovers to jump in their cars and head out into the countryside to catch the best of fall’s fireworks. Leaf peeping—the act of traveling to observe nature’s annual kaleidoscope—contributes billions of dollars to the economy, particularly in New England and New York.
But this year, the brightest colors may be in the Midwest. AccuWeather, the commercial weather forecasting service, said in early September that it expected especially vibrant foliage in states like Michigan and Illinois.
The service also said bright, vibrant colors are expected in upstate New York and parts of Pennsylvania, while New England will follow a more typical color scheme. But that doesn’t mean New England travelers will be left out.
Maine, the nation’s most forested state, has enjoyed “an abundance of daily sunshine and just the right amount of rain to create a breathtaking foliage season,” said Gale Ross, the state’s fall foliage spokeswoman. The color change and timing of fall depend on the weather, but cooler nighttime temperatures and shorter days should highlight the colors, Ross said.
“The 2024 growing season was excellent for trees, supporting tree health and resilience that should lead to vibrant fall colors across Maine,” said Aaron Bergdahl, state forest pathologist.
Fall colors peak at different times across the United States, with foliage season sometimes beginning shortly after Labor Day in the far north and extending into November further south. In Maine alone, foliage may peak in the northern part of the state in late September and not arrive in coastal areas until close to Halloween.
Leaf color change occurs as summer turns to fall, as temperatures drop and the amount of sunlight decreases. The chlorophyll in the leaves then breaks down, allowing their fall colors to shine before the leaves fall.
However, weather patterns related to climate change have disrupted some recent leaf-blooming seasons. Global warming has led to drought that causes leaves to brown and wilt before they reach their peak color.
Other enemies of leaf-peeping are heat waves that cause leaves to drop before fall arrives and extreme weather events like hurricanes that strip trees of their leaves. A summer heat wave in the Pacific Northwest in 2021 caused a disease called “leaf blight” that caused leaves to turn brown prematurely.
This year in Maine, leaf-blurring was still very rare across most of the state as September approached, but the state tourism board was already preparing for an influx of tourists. Northern Maine was already experiencing a moderate color change. And neighboring New Hampshire was expecting about 3.7 million visitors, more than double the state’s population.
“It’s no surprise that people come from all over the world to see these incredible colors,” said Lori Harnois, New Hampshire’s tourism and travel director.
