PORTLAND (WGME) — It’s hard to believe, but the fall colors are just around the corner.
In some places the fall colors are already here!
Our morning anchor Katie Sampson took this photo of changing leaves in Portland’s Payson Park on Wednesday.
Every year, Jim Salge, a former meteorologist at Mount Washington Observatory, releases his fall foliage forecast for New England. His forecast for 2024 was released on Tuesday and looks promising.
Spring came on time this year and the summer was much drier than last year, so trees in Maine and New Hampshire were much less stressed in the run-up to the fall months.
Before we dive into the weather forecast, above is a map showing typical fall foliage peaks forecast for Maine.
Unlike in the past, this year fall foliage will appear on time and reach its peak, starting in the mountains and slowly reaching the coast by Halloween.
Salge explains:
In summary, we expect northern New England’s color display to develop in time with the onset of cooler weather relative to historical averages. Colors should be bright and, if ample sunshine allows, trend toward a redder year. Colors should last longer than normal before fading and slowly declining.
He went on to say that it might be hard to cool down on the coast and that color might come a little later. The best places to look are the mountains in New Hampshire, western Maine and the Green Mountains in Vermont.
So what aspects must be fulfilled for the leaves to change their color?
As the weather gets cooler, the leaves start to produce a significant amount of sugars, and at night these sugars try to escape. When the nights are cooler, the sugars become trapped as the leaf veins slowly close, helping the leaves produce a variety of warm colors.
Too much water can negatively break down the sugar, making the colors paler and less vibrant.
The Climate Prediction Center released its temperature and precipitation forecast for September, October and November on August 15.
They predict a warm autumn with above-average temperatures that will highlight the autumn colours.
The same applies to precipitation.
If you notice any leaves or foliage changing color, we would love to see your photos! You can share them with our Chime In by clicking here.
