The Reason Fall Foliage in New England is Late to Appear This Year

Fall officially arrives in New England in the early morning of Saturday, September 23. We're just now starting to see leaves begin to change color, but this year the leaves are a bit behind schedule to show their true colors and you may have a pretty good idea why.

When I say the leaves in the fall are their "true colors" there's science to that. The green in leaves hides the true colors of the leaves that reveal themselves in the fall when the chlorophyll in them breaks down, and the green fades to the red, yellow, and oranges we see in the fall, that have always been there.

According to NBC 10 Boston's Meteorologist Pete Bouchard, New England is a week behind to show their colors. The cooler it is at night the more quickly the leaves will change their colors.

This summer has seen a lot of rain and that has kept the trees well-fed and strong, despite flooding our basements and making it nearly impossible to mow the lawn. All that rain is keeping that chlorophyll right in place letting those leaves stay green.

There's a stray tree here and there starting to show colors in Southern Maine, but most are still very green and Pete says that's about to change. We're starting to get cool nights and that will help the trees start to change color.

Peak color in Northern New England is expected in early October and then spread to Southern New England over the following few weeks.

So hang in there. The leaves will pop before you know it and leaf peeping will be in full swing.