A touch of wind and some rain has knocked down quite a few leaves across our area. This is even more true across higher elevations. However, some vibrant colors can still be seen on some trees and also all over lawns and yards, too. This will still provide for a picturesque scene with landscape of color on the ground and on trees. Peak to past peak condition are occurring over our immediate area. 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:
Vibrant, peak fall colors have arrived in the Greater Niagara region and continue to make their way through the Finger Lakes, according to observers for Empire State Development’s I LOVE NEW YORK program. Color continues to build in the southern parts of the state, including the lower Hudson Valley region, Long Island and New York City.
Fall colors have rapidly advanced over the past week in the Greater Niagara region. In Wyoming County, peak foliage is expected this weekend, as the landscape becomes awash in beautiful shades of burnt orange, along with vibrant shades of yellow, burgundy and red. Niagara County spotters are calling for 90 percent leaf change with bright gold/orange and yellow leaves predominating, along with some touches of red. Conditions will range from peak to just slightly past peak. It’s also peak foliage time in Erie County, where bright yellow leaves continue to dominate the landscape along with both dark and bright orange swaths interspersed throughout. Dark magenta trees are visible mostly in higher areas of elevation. Expect to find peak to just past peak conditions in Genesee County, with predominating fall colors ranging from brilliant orange/red to gold. Color change took off over the past week in Orleans County, which expects to be just past peak by the weekend. Look for a mixture of dull yellow leaves mixed in with some orange, along with significant leaf droppage.
Peak and near peak foliage continues to make its way through the Finger Lakes region. Foliage spotters in Wayne County expect 85-90 percent color change by the weekend marked by bright to brilliant gold leaves along with some shades of red and orange. Cayuga County spotters are predicting peak this weekend with nearly 100 percent color change and a mixture of bright yellow, gold and orange leaves. Livingston County will also see nearly complete color change and peak foliage by the weekend. Look for a bright mixture of gold, orange and red leaves. In Tompkins County, leaf peepers predict 95 percent color change and a bright mix of mostly red, orange and yellow leaves. In Yates County, a very brilliant mixture of red, orange and yellow leaves and 85 percent color change will add up to peak foliage conditions this weekend. Schuyler County foliage spotters are predicting near peak to peak conditions for the weekend, marked by a bright mixture of orange, yellow and green leaves. In Ontario County, look for foliage conditions ranging from peak to just past peak. Colors are predominantly orange and yellow with accenting reds.
Near peak foliage is working its way into Monroe County and the Rochester area, where spotters have submitted color change predictions ranging from 65 to 80 percent. In many areas of the county there are still a lot of trees with green leaves on the entire tree. In addition to many existing trees with yellow and green-yellow leaves, trees with bright red, red-orange, and orange-gold colored leaves have finally appeared. In the dark-leafed maples, the leaves are beginning to turn gold producing a nice internal glow effect. Steuben County will be just past peak, with 80-90 percent color change and many beautiful remaining leaves with shades of orange and red.
Peak colors have exited the northern and central portions of the Hudson Valley region and are making their way south. This weekend in Orange County, look for near peak leaves with 90 percent color change and predominating shades of red, orange, russet, yellow and peach. In Rockland County, also look for near peak foliage with 60 percent color change and bright shades of red and yellow. Westchester County’s foliage is holding at about midpoint of transition; expect between 35 and 40 percent color change and predominating shades of dark red and orange.
On Long Island, foliage spotters reporting from Nassau and western Suffolk counties expect 50 percent color change by the weekend, with a mix of yellow, orange, red and purple leaves of average brilliance. In New York City, foliage spotters reporting from Crown Heights and Soho are expecting about 20 percent color change and a mix of dull; orange, yellow and brown leaves. Many leaves are now down as a result of the past week’s hail storm and whole areas have very few leaves following the hail and intense rain. Eastern Parkway has gone straight from green to having large bare patches with patches of yellow.
In the Capital-Saratoga region, Saratoga County foliage reporters are predicting 100 percent leaf change and mostly past peak conditions for the upcoming weekend with the exception of the valley areas, where you will find some peak leaves of red, orange, yellow and rust.
Most all of the Central New York region is now past peak, but you’ll still find some beautiful shades of yellow and gold on the hillsides flanking the valley in Oneida and southern Herkimer counties.
In the Thousand Islands-Seaway region, look for near peak to peak color in the western and southern areas of Oswego County, with many of the leaves just starting to turn crimson, yellow and orange.
The Catskills region is just about all past peak, but you can still find some just past peak colors in the valley area of Green County. Look for bright shades of yellow, orange and red.
Other areas of the state are now past peak.
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