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9.3.02
CustomWeather Fall 2002 Foliage Report

U.S. Drought to Impact Leaf Peeping this Fall

San Francisco September 3, 2002 - CustomWeather, the leading supplier of syndicated weather data, has released its Fall Foliage Report for Autumn 2002, indicating the best places to go for optimal fall foliage in the U.S.

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Leaf peepers may be disappointed in many areas of the country this fall as a serious drought grips much of the nation. In fact, 49% of the Continental U.S. is currently experiencing moderate to severe drought conditions. Some of the hardest hit areas include the area from central Georgia to Eastern Pennsylvania. The leaves are prematurely falling off many of the trees in this area as they are forced into a drought-induced state of dormancy. Leaf peepers will have to get out early this year from the Southern Appalachians to the Mid-Atlantic Region if they hope to see any color at all.

The best bet this year for leaf peepers is to head towards the Canadian border. The far north from northern Minnesota across to northern New England has managed to avoid the drought that is affecting areas farther to the south. In the Northeast, leaf peepers may wish to consider Upstate New York and northern Vermont this year, while leaf peepers in the Midwest may wish to head towards northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for the best color. Keep in mind, however, that the leaves change much earlier in these areas, usually from late September through early October. Leaf peepers in the Upper Midwest, Upstate New York, and northern Vermont can expect one of the best displays of fall color in a few years.

In the Northeast, the drought is most severe near the coast so the best leaf peeping this fall will be found on the western spine of the Appalachians. Across the Southeast, it is difficult to find an area that is not experiencing drought conditions although like its northern neighbors, areas on the western side of the Appalachians are a little better off. The usual brilliant hues of orange and red may be replaced with more browns and yellows this year all along the East Coast. In the Midwest, the Ohio River Valley has been experiencing a drought with near normal conditions farther north.

Out West, the story is not only the drought but also the fires. The rate of wildfires this year is nearly twice the norm in the Western states. Leaf peeping across many areas of the Rockies may have to be done through a haze of smoke. The aspens are likely to lose their leaves especially early this year due to the dry conditions and may not be nearly as brilliant as usual. Some of the areas that have been especially hard-hit by the drought include the Four Corners region, Southern California, Colorado, Wyoming, and the Western High Plains from Kansas north to South Dakota. Interior portions of the Pacific Northwest from Oregon to Montana have also been affected by drought and fire this year. For good color out West this year, you may want to consider a trip to the mountains of Washington state or northern Idaho.

This fall the drought may worsen even further across the Mid-Atlantic while slight improvements are anticipated across Maine and the Southeast. Across the West, the drought will persist although some relief is anticipated across the Western High Plains. Temperatures will be near normal across most of the famed leaf-peeping areas.

Although this may not be the best year for leaf peeping in the U.S., there is still good color to be found. In general, leaf peepers will want to get out early and head towards the Canadian border.

Source: CustomWeather

About CustomWeather, Inc.
CustomWeather, headquartered in San Francisco, is the leading supplier of custom weather content, services and applications that are designed to be fully integrated and private-labeled by wireless and online information providers such as Lycos, Galileo Travel, Go2, and VoltDelta. CustomWeather’s geo-coded data feeds are offered in formats such as XML, ASCII and WML. CustomWeather generates weather reports and alerts for over 58,000 unique forecasts worldwide, establishing it as the leader for global location-based coverage. CustomWeather’s products can be viewed on its weather web site, www.MyForecast.com.

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