Recent chilly nights and the weather pattern recently has allowed the fall foliage season in New York state to start a little earlier than normal.  That means near peak conditions are already occurring across the highest elevations of the Adirondacks. Central New York is seeing some changes, too. Upstate New York is known for very pretty scenes during the months of September and October as trees undergo their yearly photogenic process.  The “I Love NY” website gives weekly updates on how the fall foliage is doing around the state. You can find the full report at the bottom of this website.  You should use their report as a guide because small variations in micro and local climates of central New York can cause big time differences in how each town’s leaves look.

That’s where you come in.  We want to know if the leaves have changed where you live and travel.  In the comment section of this web story, please tell us if any of the trees in your area have changed.  Include your location and the approximate percentage of leaves that have changed color.  Finally, also include the types of colors that you see and how vibrant it is.  If you have some photos or a video of leaves, that would help even more.

Here’s how you can submit pictures and videos:  You can e-mail us your pictures & videos to news@cnycentral.com or weather@cnycentral.com and by going to the MyCNYcentral and share them with everyone on our website. 

Your detailed leaf reports are very helpful to us here at CNYcentral. By helping us out, you are helping out everyone here in central New York who would like to know where the best leaf colors are across our region.

If you would like more information on why leaves change color in the first place, check out this great article here, which explains why the breakdown in chlorophyll leads to vibrant autumnal colors. If you would like more information on how to identify certain types of leaves in general, click here. 

The full I Love NY fall foliage report is located here and below:

Bright, beautiful, near-peak fall colors are expected this weekend in some of the higher elevations of the Adirondacks, while spectacular shades of autumn past the midpoint of color change are expected to arrive in the Delaware County area of the Catskills, according to observers for Empire State Development’s I LOVE NEW YORK program.

Near-peak foliage is forecasted for this weekend for the Mt. Arab/Tupper Lake area of Franklin County. Expect to see about 80 percent change, with a wide range of colors, including Vermillion, Cinnamon, Paprika and Nutmeg, as well as Saffron, Mustard and Ochre. Great viewing sites in the area include the Wild Center in Tupper Lake and the fire observation tower located on top of Mt Arab, 5 miles to the west off of Route 3. In Herkimer County, leaf peepers in Old Forge project 50-75 percent color change by the weekend, as the autumn colors are starting to come on strong. Look for lots of burgundies, as well as splashes of red and orange, amidst the remaining green. The stage of color progression in the area will be around midpoint for Old Forge, near peak just to the south.

In Essex County, foliage spotters at Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, project 50 percent color change for the coming weekend, with red, orange and yellow leaves of average brilliance and foliage change at midpoint. Also in the county, Lake Placid is expecting 45-50 percent change by the weekend, with shades of red breaking through on the maples. The spotters report that color is somewhat lower in Keene and Keene Valley. Colors are coming on strong in the North Creek area of Warren County, where 50 percent color change is expected by the weekend. Look for a mixture of bright yellow, orange and red leaves. Hamilton County foliage spotters in Indian Lake expect approximately 30-40 percent color transition. Bright autumn shades of yellow and red are emerging, but are still dominated by the green shades of summer. Color change here will be at midpoint.

The southeastern portion of the region including southern Warren County and the Lake Champlain area of Essex County is expected to see much less change by the weekend, with color transition between 5 and 15 percent. Emerging colors include shades of red, yellow and orange.

In the Catskills region, Delaware County foliage spotters expect midpoint to near-peak leaves, with 60 percent color transition and bright burgundy, orange, yellow and green leaves. In Ulster County, Saugerties leaf peepers are expecting 50 percent color transition by the weekend with bright orange and gold leaves dominating, along with some shades of yellow and red. Also in the county, Belleayre Mountain foliage spotters in Highmount project between 35 and 40 percent color change, as the fall colors become brighter and take over from the summer shades of green. Look for mostly red leaves, with yellows starting to catch up. Around the Kingston area of Ulster County expect between 25 and 30 percent color change with bright red, vibrant orange, and deep amber leaves. Sullivan County observers in Monticello expect around 25 percent transition with bright and rich shades of red and russet leaves emerging. Greene County spotters based in Catskill expect 20-25 percent color change, with predominating colors of bright green, red, yellow and orange.

In the Grafton area of Rensselaer County, expect between 35 and 40 percent color change and transition at midpoint this weekend. Predominating fall colors include bright shades of red and orange. Schenectady County is expecting approximately 25 percent color change, with the bright autumn shades of gold being joined by shades of red, in addition to the predominating green leaves. The Saratoga Springs area of Saratoga County should see 20 percent color change by the weekend, with average-to-bright fall colors of yellow, red and orange still trying to find their voice over the predominating green background. In Albany County, color change is still coming slowly to the Thatcher Park area of Voorheesville. Look for 10-15 percent color change with bright fall shades of yellow and orange, as well as touches of red.

In Central New York, foliage change will still be, on average, in the early stages. Foliage spotters in the Norwich area of Chenango County predict conditions around or at midpoint of change this weekend, with 45 percent color transition and red, yellow and orange leaves of average brilliance. Broome County spotters based in Binghamton project 30 percent transition, with bright green, red, orange and yellow leaves. Leaf peepers in the southern Herkimer County town of Mohawk expect about 25 percent color change, with the predominating green landscape giving way to emerging patches of dull orange leaves. Oneida County foliage spotters based in Utica are calling for 20 percent color change with amber and yellow leaves of muted brilliance. In Schoharie County, expect about 15 percent color change in the Cobleskill area, as deep, warm reds, and classic autumn oranges start to emerge. Madison County spotters based in Morrisville expect around 10 percent color change.

Foliage change in the Greater Niagara region is still minimal. In Niagara County, Lewiston foliage spotters project 20 percent color change by the weekend, with some orange and yellow leaves of average brilliance beginning to show. In Buffalo, Erie County, look for about 15 percent color change with a hint of bright orange leaves emerging. Genesee County spotters in Batavia are calling for just around 10 percent color change, as beautiful autumn days bring wonderful touches of color to the predominately green landscape. Other reporting stations in the region report less than 10 percent change.

Throughout the Finger Lakes region, foliage change is still in the early stages. Tioga County foliage spotters are expecting 25 percent of the leaves to be changed by the weekend, with a mixture of orange and yellow leaves working its way into the predominating green. In Chemung County, the Elmira area can expect around 15-20 percent change, as bursts of yellow, orange and red leaves now dot the landscape. In the Syracuse area of Onondaga County, spotters are calling for between 15 and 20 percent change, with touches of yellow, red and purple leaves of average brilliance. Wayne, Cayuga, Yates and Livingston counties are expecting around 10 percent color change this weekend, while spotters in Monroe and Steuben counties note that color change is still below 10 percent.

In the Hudson Valley, foliage observers in the southern Ulster County town of Highland are expecting 25 percent color change, with bright and beautiful yellow leaves along with some deep reds and oranges. In the White Plains area of Westchester County, 15 percent color change is expected this weekend; look for some light orange leaves beginning to break through the mostly green backdrop. The New City area of Rockland County will also be around 15 percent change, with red and yellow leaves of average brilliance, as will the City of Hudson area of Columbia County, which should see some orange leaves of average brilliance. Spotters in the Poughkeepsie area of Dutchess County expect between 10 and 15 percent color change, with a very bright mix of yellow, rust and orange shades. Other spotters in the region expect less than 10 percent color change.

Travelers to the Thousand Islands-Seaway region this weekend, will find the most color in the Canton area of St. Lawrence County, where 35 percent color transition will come with a nice mix of  rust hues and chartreuse with splashes of reds and oranges of average to bright brilliance. In the Alexandria Bay area of Jefferson County, look for about 25 percent change and a mix of brilliant yellow and orange leaves. Foliage spotters reporting from the Salmon River area near Pulaski in Oswego County project 20 percent change by the weekend, as the sugar maples and oaks continue to emerge with yellow and orange. Sumacs and red maples are showing spots of scarlet.

In the Chautauqua-Allegheny region, 25 percent color change is expected this weekend in Chautauqua County, where some bright orange and yellow autumn shades are beginning to overcome the predominating green leaves. Cattaraugus County spotters based in Little Valley expect 20 percent color change, with shades of green slowly but surely giving way to many shades of red, orange and yellow leaves. At Allegany State Park in Cattaraugus County, expect 15 percent color change, with touches of yellow starting to show around the roadsides.  Allegany County leaf peepers in Belmont also call for 15 percent color change, with a mix of dull red, orange and yellow autumn colors.

Color change will be less than 10 percent on Long Island and in New York City.

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