Leaf-peeping season is a letdown in eastern US

Although the fall foliage season has been a dud so far in parts of the East, leaf-peepers in the West are enjoying a superb season. In the East, fall color in the traditionally gorgeous northern and central Appalachians has been “a big disappointment,” AccuWeather’s Dale Mohler said. In some spots, leaves went from green to brown, then fell from the tree. “It’s not a good year,” he said. The cause? Blame it on the weather, particularly the worst-case combination of unusually warm and wet conditions, Mohler said. Most of the eastern U.S. saw an extremely warm September and early October. As for rain, the late summer and early fall has been one of the wettest on record, he said. Ideally, cooler, drier weather is best for lovely foliage. An example of the poor foliage can be found in western Maryland: This week, green and brown dominate across the region, said Melissa Nash, a Garrett County (Maryland) forester. In New England and the Adirondacks, areas that saw a drier summer overall, leaves have been more colorful, though peak color is nearly over. “The fall color change has been running at least a week behind schedule,” said AccuWeather’s Brett Anderson. The Great Lakes and Midwest have “been a little bit better” than in an average season, Mohler said. In many spots, however, colors haven’t peaked. In Southern California, “a painter’s palette of lime, yellow, orange and red is daubing the San Bernardino mountains with vibrant peak color,” according to the website California Fall Color, which includes the tagline “Dude, autumn happens here too.”