The leaves are now turning in many of the major cities in the Northeast and Midwest, and some color is even creeping into lower elevations of the Mid-Atlantic and South. But — in most of the high elevations along the Lower 48 — peak color has come and gone.
Much of Southern New England outside the mountains is still near the top, while colors are beginning to fade in Connecticut's Berkshires, Worcester Hills and Litchfield Hills. At lower elevations around Hartford, Springfield, Worcester and northern Rhode Island, the color is excellent.
The colors near the top spread across much of Pennsylvania and then south along the Appalachians into northern Georgia (although the high elevations are past the top). The foothills to the east of the mountains beyond the crest of the approaching Mid-Atlantic, including the northwestern suburbs of Washington, Baltimore, and Philadelphia.
Heading west, “Michigan is currently proving to be a star for the Midwest,” wrote Foliage Report, another color-watching site, in its latest update.
While the Upper Peninsula is well past the peak, much of lower Michigan is in high color to near peak, with the best conditions generally near and north of Lansing.
West of Lake Michigan, places near the coast like Green Bay are at the top, as it is southern wisconsinmuch of Iowa and the central plains.
Non-mountainous portions of the Four Corners and intermountain West also see high-to-peak colors, such as Albuquerque, Grand Junction, Salt Lake City and the hills around St. George. Even to the south around Toscon, the the mountains look great. North, the Interstate 5 corridor, particularly from Seattle to Portland, also remains bathed in deep color.
Where the peak is just around the corner
In the Northeast, coastal cities like Boston, New Haven and New York City generally have moderate to high colors and should peak next week, though it could be another one to weeks for the Big Apple.
Increased storminess and wind is likely to move much of inland southern New England after peaking next week.
South, most of New Jersey should soon peak, along with southeastern Pennsylvania and areas west of Interstate 95 from Philadelphia to Washington.
The western half of Virginia and North Carolina will also burst with color next week.
It is increasingly favored for fall color in much of the Ohio Valley and southern Michigan. The northern Ozarks are starting to show off as well. To the west, a zone in Kansas and the southern High Plains should be colorful, at least where you can find trees.
Regional Spotlight: Southern Appalachia
Some of the best colors in the country can be found in an expected area: western Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and northern Georgia.
This area is dominated by Great Smoky Mountainsthe nation's most visited national park and North Carolina's Black Mountains, with Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Rockies at 6,684 feet.
While the high points in this area are now past the peak (they tend to peak in mid-October, about the same time as the New England mountains), the area's lower elevations and valleys are beautifully colored. The roads in and out of Asheville, NC are sure to be busy with browsers in the coming days.
