The Midwest will have the most vibrant fall foliage in the United States this year, according to a new forecast released by the weather watchers at AccuWeather.
In a wedge of the country stretching from the interior Northeast and Great Lakes region down through the Mississippi River Valley, conditions this year are ideal, the forecast predicts, for the sort of bright red, orange, and yellow leaves that make for memorable autumn road trips and excursions to apple orchards and pumpkin patches.
This summer's "above-historical average rainfall" in New England, meanwhile, will result in "typical to dull" fall foliage in much of that region, per AccuWeather. That's right: You just saw "dull fall foliage" and "New England" in the same sentence. Hope we didn't make you spit out your PSL.
"We expect more yellows and browns ... along the East coast," writes AccuWeather long-range expert Paul Pastelok in the forecast. "We've had a lot of precipitation already and more rain is expected to persist going through early fall. ... We're looking at warmer and more humid conditions later in September for the East, so expect some duller colors."
While too much rain could mute the autumn show in the East, too little precipitation and high temperatures could cause lackluster leaves in the Northwest and Rocky Mountains, Pastelok warns.
Where Fall Foliage Will Be Best in 2024
What trees need to put on their best fall displays are sunny days and cool nights in the early part of the season. That's why AccuWeather's experts think the best spots for leaf peeping in 2024 will be around the Great Lakes, inland regions of the Northeast, and the middle of the country.
If you're into impressive foliage, Pastelok recommends setting your GPS for road trips in upstate and western New York as well as central and northern Pennsylvania, due to recent rainfall levels there.
Things are looking promising in the Ozarks, too, with "good to vibrant" colors expected across northwest Arkansas and parts of Missouri, according to the forecast.
Head farther north and the forecast is even better.
“We think the best places to go will be parts of the Upper Midwest, like Minneapolis, Green Bay [Wisconsin], and outside of Chicago," Pastelok explains. "The trees should have nice reds and oranges."
New England Fall Foliage Forecast for 2024
The annual fall foliage forecast for New England that was released by Yankee magazine late last month put a more optimistic spin on the region's autumnal prospects, describing the outlook for bold colors as "fairly positive," provided autumn conditions ("warm, sunny days and crisp, cool nights") "continue to cooperate."
But the Climate Prediction Center's expectation for more warmth and wet "could stall the progress of fall colors across much of New England," admits the magazine's forecaster, Jim Salge.
Your best bets for autumn displays in the region, according to Yankee's forecast, are in the Berkshires and central Green Mountains, as well as much of the White Mountains and western Maine.
If it's any consolation, the leaves should be more colorful throughout New England than in the rain-soaked year of 2023.
(Map showing forecast of peak autumn colors in the United States | Credit: AccuWeather)
When Fall Foliage Will Hit Peak Color in 2024
To get the timing right for your leaf-viewing road trip, consult AccuWeather's map (pictured above) showing the best times for peak autumn colors in various regions of the U.S., from late September to early November. A good rule of thumb to remember is that cooler northern climes (northern Maine and Minnesota, for example) tend to reach peak color earlier in the season, and warmer places in the South enter their peak peeping periods in late October and November.
Another handy tool is the Fall Foliage Prediction Map provided each year by SmokyMountains.com, a vacation rental site that hosts a nationwide picture of the country's weekly foliage sitch.
The map, which is embedded below, is easy to use. Simply drag the slider at the bottom of the image to the right to see a visualization of weekly foliage predictions based on a "refined data model that depends on a combination of factors," such as historical temperature and precipitation, weather forecasts, the types of trees in a given region, and user data.
Here at Frommer's, we'd also like you to have an enjoyable autumn. To that end, check out our picks for the season's best U.S. travel destinations, the best orchards and farms for family fun, or, if you're ready to peep leaves on another continent, the best autumn destinations in Europe.
