Overview

• About 70 percent of Canada was abnormally dry or in drought by the end of July, according to the national drought monitor.
• Field reports from southern Ontario and Nova Scotia describe shrivelling, brown leaves consistent with stress-induced leaf death rather than typical colour change.
• Experts say trees often fail to produce anthocyanins—the red and purple pigments that act like a sunscreen—when energy reserves are depleted by dryness.
• Forecasters caution that a stretch of sunny days with consistently cool nights could still boost sugar trapping in leaves and improve colour in some areas.
• Scientists link the increasing likelihood and severity of these dry conditions to climate change, noting knock-on effects such as more intense wildfires and reduced forest carbon uptake.