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6d ago

Peak Fall Color Sweeps Adirondacks and Catskills as Warm, Dry Spell Narrows Viewing Window

Unseasonable warmth plus expanding drought are stressing trees, muting reds and shortening the viewing window.

People walk in a dried up creek among the fall foliage at John Boyd Thacher State Park on Oct. 15, 2020, in New Scotland. While it may look like fall with foliage transitioning, it won’t feel like fall this weekend. This weekend will be around 10 to 15 degrees warmer than average. It will seem like summer has returned as highs soar to near 80 on Saturday, and into the lower 80s on Sunday.
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Overview

  • State tourism observers report many Adirondack and Catskill locations at or near peak Oct. 1–7, with some higher elevations already slipping past peak.
  • Forecasts call for the warmest leaf‑peeping weekend of fall, about 10–15 degrees above normal with highs near or into the 80s, before a midweek front brings rain and cooler 60s.
  • The U.S. Drought Monitor now shows nearly 42% of New York in at least moderate drought, a stress that experts say can dull colors and accelerate leaf drop.
  • Gov. Kathy Hochul’s statewide outdoor burn ban remains in effect through at least Oct. 15 due to dry conditions.
  • Peak color in New York City is projected for late October into early November, with NYC Parks pointing to the first week of November and the Botanical Garden tracker showing little color yet.