First Alert Weather In-Depth: What we can expect for fall foliage this season

ROCHESTER, N.Y. Summer has ended and fall has begun, but will the dry summer we just experienced have any effect on this year’s fall foliage?

“There was a fair amount of drought in the Western and Eastern part of New York State over the summer,” Northeast Climate Center Director Arthur Degaetaro said. “What that tended to do was weaken some of the trees, it might have made some trees change a little bit earlier and drop their leaves a little bit earlier but for the most part that really hasn’t happened in too many places.”

And although the summer was dry, the sunshine we saw will benefit the colors.

“One thing that works in our favor is a nice bright sunny summer where the trees are able to grow well and make adequate sugars,” Degaetaro said. “That tends to make the leaves more vibrant.”

Not only will the well-grown trees benefit us, but so will the lack of wind and temperature changes.

“The next thing is kind of the conditions right now where we are,” Degaetaro said. “Yes, it has been a bit rainy but it hasn’t been all that windy and such so the leaves are staying on the trees so that’ll again work in our favor. Also, we are starting to get into that time of year where we are still getting warm days and cool nights”

With the recent weather across upstate New York, the time to look for the changing leaves has begun!

“The Adirondacks, I’d say this would be a pretty good weekend to go up now,” Degaetaro said. “I would say in Central New York, on the lakes, and in Western New York, next weekend and/or the weekend after are going to be the two prime leaf-peeping weekends.”

And the First Alert Weather Team will continue to show you the latest fall foliage report for New York State through the fall.