Fall Foliage In Tri-State Area Expected To Peak In Late October

NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) -- The start of fall means that it's time for foliage.

If you want to see the most vibrant colors this early in the season you'll have to take a road trip. Peak viewing in the Tri-State Area is just a few weeks away.

As CBS 2's Elise Finch explained, the changing of the leaves is the highlight of the season for many people.

"I think I like the bright reds the most. I think it's the most vibrant, the most beautiful," Alyssa Molloy said.

At the Greenburgh Nature Center, maple trees and dogwood trees are already bright orange, but the leaves on many trees are still green. That's the case across the Tri-State Area.

To see the best fall foliage in late September you have to head to northern New England. Peak color for most of our area occurs in late October.

As CBS 2's Finch reported, ample soil moisture is critical for colorful fall foliage. Experts say our relatively dry summer will impact what we see this year.

"The ground is fairly dry right now and probably what's going to happen is the colors will be a little bit less intense, and you'll also see a shorter duration of the fall foliage when the leaves stay on the tree," Travis Brady, Greenburgh Nature Center, explained.

David Gevanter said that he enjoys the foliage no matter how intense the colors are and he uses the leaves as a teaching tool for his 3-year-old twins.

"They're at the age when they're learning about shapes and colors so they notice and they say these are the ones that changing and these are dying," Gevanter said.

Brady and other experts say leaf viewing in our area will still be very impressive right around Halloween and urges people not to miss it.

Once the best fall colors arrive in our are you will have to act fast, the foliage can last as little as a week before leaves start to fall.

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