Fall Foliage Report: Oct. 6

As Connecticut approaches near peak color, a few spots are now peaking.

Near peak color is apparent across the hills throughout Connecticut as of October 6th with patchy color in most other areas. A few spots in the northwestern hills have reached their peak.

Peak:
Some of the highest terrain in north-central Litchfield County is reporting peak foliage. Colors here are quite vibrant, but with the color change, the leaf drop is also increasing.

Near-peak:
Most of of the higher terrain across western Connecticut reports near-peak foliage. While some areas have widespread color, the valleys, including the Waterbury area, are still hanging on to quite a bit of green. Across northeastern Connecticut, the foliage is also getting close to peak in spots.

Patchy color:
The valleys, shoreline and larger cities across Connecticut are still reporting just patchy color.

Through this week
The place to be to view foliage at its best will be across central and northern Litchfield County. From Litchfield to Torrington and points north to the Massachusetts border, color will be abundant through much of this week, especially on Tuesday. Colors continue to deepen down to the higher terrain near I-84 both west of and east of Waterbury. In the eastern part of the state, colors are bleeding down through Tolland County and even into the higher terrain of southwestern Hartford County. A trip across Route 44 from Bolton east to the Rhode Island border will also feature plenty of color.

There is some concern that locally heavy rainfall and strong winds Wednesday morning may bring down a lot of leaves and even some branches. Tuesday will likely be the best day for leaf viewing in northwestern Connecticut, with relatively warm temperatures and plenty of leaves still around. By Wednesday, those areas that are peaking will likely have lost a lot of their leaves. Elsewhere, a somewhat accelerated leaf drop is likely due to the expected strong winds Wednesday morning.

Map color table:
Green – Most leaves are green
Lime green – Patchy color is noted (more than 50% green)
Yellow – Colors are approaching peak (more than 50% turning)
Orange – Colors are peaking (more than 75% have turned)
Brown – Colors are turning brown and leaves are falling

Reports will be posted each Monday and Thursday through the foliage season.