Map shows where in New England to find best fall foliage this weekend
BOSTON – The fall season is flying by. Just this morning we saw the snow whiten the ground in the highest elevations up north including Mount Washington and Killington Ski Resort. The upcoming weekend is probably the busiest and most popular weekend to head north and check out the foliage.
What areas are past foliage peak?
Overall, the foliage season has been good, not great and highly variable.
As you drive north up I-93 you will come across patches of vibrant color mixed with areas that are still green.
Even locally, you will see some trees starting to burst with color mixed with trees that are totally green mixed with others that seemed to go right to brown.
In general, these areas are past peak. This means a mix of leaf drop, brown leaves and dull/fading color.
- Northeast Kingdom in Vermont
- Highest elevations in the Green Mountains
- Northernmost woods in New Hampshire
- Highest elevations in the White Mountains
- Mountains/Crown of northernmost Maine
If you are planning on hiking some of the higher peaks, be on the lookout for "snowliage!" That is a mix of colorful leaves and some light snowfall.
Where is the best place for leaf peeping this weekend?
There are several locations that would be great for leaf peeping this weekend.
- Lower elevations in Vermont including most of the valleys in southern and central Vermont
- Lakes Region in New Hampshire
- Monadnock Region in New Hampshire
- Highest elevations in the Berkshires
- Spotty locations up Route 2 in MA and up Route 3 and Route 93 in southern NH
Peaking in the next 1-2 weeks:
- The remainder of southern New England. Areas north and west first and then coastal areas later in the month.
The forecast this weekend is OK. If you can get out a day early, Friday looks tremendous. Mainly sunny skies and temperatures up north near 60 degrees. It will be a bit breezy, mainly 10-20mph.
Saturday forecast
After some early morning clouds, the day will feature abundant sunshine and great views.
Temperatures will be mainly in the 50s in the lower elevations up north.
The main issue will be the wind. There will be a steady, gusty, northwest wind most of the day with sustained 12-25 mph winds and gusts 25-45 mph. The higher you go in elevation, the gustier the winds. Atop some of the big mountains there may be gusts near or slightly over 50 mph. There will certainly be a lot of leaves flying off the trees Saturday.
Sunday forecast
Not an ideal day. Skies will be mainly cloudy if not completely overcast by late morning. Rain showers are likely to arrive by the afternoon.
Temperatures will be chilly up north, in the 40s. The good news is the winds will be much calmer than Saturday.
Monday forecast
"Meh" is one way to describe the forecast. Likely to be some leftover rain showers, especially in the morning along with a thick cloud cover.
Temperatures will range from 45-50 in the northern areas with a slight northwest breeze.
