Early fall foliage forecasts have begun trickling in to help travelers plan autumn road trips and weekend getaways coinciding with peak color.
The vibrancy of displays is determined in large part by the weather in the months leading up to fall, so experts have a good degree of certainty as to how the leaves will look—though last-minute factors can have an effect, too.
New England fall foliage forecast for 2025
In the famed foliage showcase known as New England, the critical meteorological feature expected to have an impact on trees in late 2025 is the heavy precipitation the region experienced in spring, when it rained on 12 (frustrating) Saturdays in a row.
That helped forests recover from the previous autumn’s drought, according to Yankee magazine’s annual leaf-peeping look-ahead. But the soggy conditions also allowed some fungus to set up on leaves, and fungus tends to mute bold reds, oranges, and yellows.
“Beautiful colors will be out there, and likely plentiful,” writes Yankee foliage expert and eternal optimist Jim Salge, “but leaf peepers should plan their adventures to include different elevations and aspects to ensure they catch the show.”
Further complicating things: The wet spring gave way to hot and dry weather at the height of summer and now the drought index is again “creeping upward,” Salge notes.
That could result in fall colors that “emerge slightly early” this year, and, while “some drought can make colors really bright,” it also “shortens the duration of the show.”
Historically, peak color in northern New England (Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont) usually appears around the middle of October, according to Yankee magazine’s fall foliage map, with the southern part of the region (Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island) following in late October and early November.
Based on Salge’s early predictions, visitors planning New England leaf-peeping trips might want to move their target dates ahead by a few days this year.
Course, the outlook could change if the emerging drought is broken up by September rains or if other weather shifts occur.
Yankee magazine will provide updates throughout the season as well as weekly travel recommendations at NewEngland.com/foliage.
Frommer’s New England
Frommer’s comprehensive guide to New England fans across this quintessentially American region to show readers how to explore quaint villages, historic sites dating to the country’s earliest days, and bustling cities. In this region nature decked out in four seasons of finery, from ravishing autumn …
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Frommer’s New England
Frommer’s comprehensive guide to New England fans across this quintessentially American region to show readers how to explore quaint villages, historic sites dating to the country’s earliest days, and bustling cities. In this region nature decked out in four seasons of finery, from ravishing autumn …
2025 fall foliage forecast for New York State, the Southeast, the Midwest, and the West
Looking beyond New England, Salge expects similarly “sporadic colors” in New York State and the Mid-Atlantic region due to “above-average rainfall in spring followed by record summer heat and humidity.”
That could mean earlier and shorter leaf displays in popular autumn destinations such as Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where leaves “could start to turn by the end of September,” per a separate report in the Bucks County Courier Times.
Farther south, drought conditions were rare this summer in the Southeast. That should result in nice, vibrant fall displays in places like North Carolina‘s Blue Ridge Mountains toward the end of October.
The Upper Midwest appears destined for a strong autumnal showing as well—provided Canadian wildfire smoke doesn’t spoil the view, as Salge warns.
Out west, though, drought conditions in the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest will likely keep the foliage season brief this year.
In Colorado, the aspens have already started to turn. Local news reports warn that peak color, which usually runs mid-September through early October, could “arrive about 5 to 10 days earlier than average, with the highest elevations running closer to 10 days ahead of schedule.”
For fall foliage info about any of the states not mentioned here, check out the interactive map at Explore Fall.
Using an “in-house fall foliage model,” the site displays real-time conditions across the country as well as state-by-state maps showing current and estimated autumn color from September 1 through the end of November.
Explore Fall’s daily updates ensure that you’re planning your autumn travels with the most current info available.
