Foliage update June 2025 - New England - New England Fall Foliage

I’ve been getting inquiries about when my next foliage update will be. Well, here it is! We are all in summer mode now, and in Salem, we are looking at 90+ degrees today. But in my heart, I’m dreaming of a morning like this one on Mirror Lake in Thornton, New Hampshire. A cool morning to be sure, causing a foggy mist to rise from the still warm waters.

Someone is thinking the same thoughts because this image has sold four times in the past 3 days in my Fine Art Gallery as products (yes, they have mugs and totes, you can get my artwork on).

The Critical Factors, Temperatures, and Rainfall

Earlier this spring, I was very worried about the drought conditions throughout New England. Luckily, I’m able to keep an eye of the drought because NOAA has been able to produce this product despite all the crazy cutbacks to the scientists and critical technicians.

Read the Caption for this image…

Currently, we are not experiencing any droughts anywhere in New England. Additionally, as of today, we are expecting “AVERAGE” rainfall over the summer, from August through October. This does not mean a “guarantee” that we WILL have a perfect amount of rainfall. It only means that the statistical average shows that we “SHOULD” get an average amount of rain..

Does this mean we are out of danger of flooding?

No… This only means the people at NOAA who watch these things don’t “THINK” we will get more than we normally should expect. Also, there is the other shoe that IS getting ready to drop! I fully expect to see a higher incidence of Anthracnose fungus on the maples. Will this ruin an entire hillside or valley? NO… But you may see trees in a row that are awesome, but 1-2 trees in the row may be bare or brown instead of red and orange.

Temperatures

We had a bit of a cool spring, and we are expected to have a “hot” summer. The summer is supposed to be hot (in the 80s), but if we spend the summer in the 90s to 100s, then I’ll worry. Right now it is what it is and what I’ve been telling you for many years is… When does it start to cool down?

Right now, it is supposed to be above average temps, and for the colors to start turning with really bright colors, we need the days to be sunny with highs in the 70s and lows in the mid to upper 30s.

What Jeff Thinks will happen

First, what I’m watching for as far as rainfall is this: can get through July without getting one of those massive flooding events that hit New England in July 2023 and July 2024. So I’ll start breathing again in August.

Second, for the temperatures, I’m expecting that we will (most likely) get the sunny part, definitely the 70s part, but the lows will be in the low 50s, and if we are lucky, the upper 40s. This means we will see a “slow-burn” as far as color development.

So, as I tell you Every Single Year, it really depends on the overall weather that we actually get. It really depends on the cumulative effects of the weather blended together that determine how bright and long-lasting the fall colors will be.

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How to Plan Your New England Fall Foliage Trip

To start your planning process, look at the menu at the top of any page on my website, click the planning menu, and this will show you things to help you START your Planning. I’ve gathered lots of ideas from Scenic drives to lodging ideas based on places we’ve stayed at.

Click the “Things to Do” and check out hiking tours, train tours, bike tours, farm stands, and so much more! I hope this tip will help you navigate my website.

Dates will “Maybe” start in Sept!

I think early arrivals in New England will see light color in northern Vermont and northern New Hampshire by the last 3-4 days of September. The better color will be more prevalent in the first week of October. In Maine, I think really good color will show up in Stratford and Eustis, Maine, which has for the past 5-9 years been showing above average fall colors from the 20th to the 30th of Sept. I assume this area turns earlier because of the geography of this area. It just turns early. BUT most of what is seen is in the wet bogs via drones. So take a run through there and let me know what you see.

Jeff Foliage Folger

Autumn is a state of mind more than a time of year – Jeff Foliage

Visit my Amazon affiliate store for items that Lisa and I have curated for you. These items are either New England-made or things we think will make your fall foliage trip more successful.