Fall colors have begun to progress fairly quickly. I’ve noticed in Cattaraugus County, the amount of foliage varies widely depending on which hillside you’re looking at. Many of the north-facing hills are approaching midpoint with hues of brown and bright red. Southward (sunward) facing hills have seen significantly less change. New York’s foliage spotters claim we’re at 15%. Not a chance– we’re significantly further along than that… they don’t know what they’re talking about.

In other parts of the state…

  • The Adirondacks are approaching near-peak foliage in several spots, and the bulk of the area is at at least midpoint.
  • The Catskills have progressed to midpoint.
  • The south side of Lake Ontario, the city of Cortland, and another spot southwest of the Finger Lakes are still registering as almost entirely green.
  • The bulk of upstate, other than that I’ve mentioned so far, is otherwise in the “just changing” category, with 10-30% change.
  • Northern Pennsylvania reports 5-10% color change.

~Jerry