Will The Wind & Rain Ruin Peak Fall Colors

Mother Nature has been very nice to us for the past few weeks with little rain and only a few windy days. For the most part, this has been (to this photographer’s eyes) one of the best fall foliage seasons in a lot of years. (Written in 2022)

snowliage on Mount Mansfield — North-end of Smugglers Notch getting a coating of snowliage. Prints of this image ship Free in the US and Canada here.

Oct 13/14 wind/Rain Event…

This is just a short report/guess what the next day or so will do to those colorful leaves that many of us have been seeing… To put it plainly, Thursday is going to be crappy. All along the southern coast, we are going to see high winds, and up north the National Weather Service says we’ll see strong gusts in the Green Mountains which could be “leaf-takers and heartbreakers” (name the movie my paraphrase comes from in the comments… hint, Clint said it).

I want to let you know that I don’t run “in your face” ADs on this site (BUT… I do have affiliate Ads)

This doesn’t mean I don’t have costs. I have Website costs, hotels/Inns, gas, and of course, cider donuts and my pumpkin spice coffee’s all add up!
If you find what I do to be a service to your fall foliage planning then please think about supporting me in any of the following ways.

Choose my artwork to put on your walls. Framed prints, canvas gallery wraps along with Home decor can be purchased securely from my online Art Gallery. Even small items like mugs, totes, or puzzles help me out and keep me going!!!
Purchase via my affiliate links. you may see Amazon-linked products I own , or other affiliates to try out, they pay me a few pennies from your purchase.
If you book your reservations from Expedia or Hotels.com from my links I also receive a little compensation.
Purchase my yearly calendars. You have different calendars to choose from with New England images, Fall Foliage, Lighthouses, or covered bridges. This will allow you to explore New England from top to bottom in all seasons.

Want a more direct way? Become a patron by sending directly via my Patron Page. Here you can send via the secure form to Paypal with your debit or credit card. (no you don’t need a Paypal account)

This wind event continues throughout Thursday and tapers off Thursday evening into Friday. The wind will pack a big punch because it will also be accompanied by pretty solid rain on Thursday tapering off on Friday as the front moves out to the east.

The winds on Friday will be calm at 1-3MPH gusting to 7-10MPH. but it depends on where you are. So Where does this leave us on the weekend?

Remember I’m not a meteorologist so this may (probably) be less accurate than the guys/gals on TV… 🙂

16-17 Oct Fall Foliage Guess?

I will not lie, this WILL take down some leaves… make that a lot of leaves. But it will NOT take down ALL the leaves, it never does but it will not be pretty…

Depending on the wind direction, there will be valleys where the wind will go right over the top and not do much damage (fingers crossed) down low. This is what we will have to look for. But before you ask, NO I don’t know which valleys those will be. We’ll ALL have to get out and explore to find out.

I think a drive through central VT/NH/and ME will yield good results this weekend. As well as into MA/CT/and RI. On Friday the cloud cover will be moving from west to east so to see the clearing skies I would explore western New England. (CT/MA/CT)

Now after all that Doom and Gloom…

I’m adding this in a year later and look at the images I took. On 16 October on Route 7 in Shelburne Vermont I took this image.

Shelburne Museum Property with Adirondacks in background — On Route 7 is the Shelburne Museum. Here you have Vermont trees in the foreground and the Adirondacks of New York in the back.

On 16 October In Hancock New Hampshire, I found…

On 21 October in North Adams Massachusetts, I found…

north adams Massachusetts on 21 Oct 2022 — One of the more serious hairpin turns that I’ve found in Massachusetts is the one above North Adams Massachusetts. There are no big obstacles like up in Vermont at Smuggles Notch but as this is a straight shot to the hairpin turn if someone didn’t know and wasn’t paying attention then could miss the turn… This would not end well.

On 27 October in Brooklyn Connecticut, I found…

farmall tractor in Brooklyn Connecticut — Farmall Tractor Brooklyn Connecticut

To answer the question: Will strong wind and rain ruin the fall colors?

It really depends on how happy the trees are, to begin with. If they get decent amounts of rain and sun from Spring through the fall, then they are happy going into Autumn. Happy trees hold onto the leaves even if it is windy and raining.

You may have to drive around more to find beautiful colors but if we are lucky then we won’t lose all the leaves. If we do lose the majority in the area you are in, MOVE YOUR FEET! The chances are there is a protective hill causing wind and rain to bypass the next valley over and you could find all the most beautiful fall colors just a mile or two away from where you are standing.

Check our Facebook group for updates

One of the best resources is our Facebook Group for New England fall foliage and people are uploading this season’s pictures constantly. and this will help locate if ANYONE is finding fall colors and where and on what day…

Good hunting my friends and safe travels

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.