Upton 2013 fall foliage image by John Reed
submitted by Meteorologist Jeb Postle
The first imagery of fall to many is either walking or driving down a country road seeing the many vibrant colors allocated amongst the trees. The occurrence and display of the fall foliage is dependent upon several factors.
Before I elaborate on how weather impacts the foliage, lets briefly talk about why the fall foliage occurs. During the growing season, chlorophyll is produced and present in plants-trees. Chlorophyll is responsible for giving the leaves its green colors and is fundamental for photosynthesis. When the length of day shortens and reaches a specific criterion, the chlorophyll attritions. This allows for other pigments to be exposed in the plants. These other pigments are called carotenoids and anthocyanins. Carotenoids display the orange-yellow-brownish color pigments, while Anthocyanins display the tasteful color pigments found in many fruits (WHY LEAVES CHANGE COLORS, 2011).
Weather plays a minor role in the duration and extent of colors displayed during the foliage. The main weather factors include the duration of sunlight, amount of rainfall during the growing season, air temperature, and winds. For good foliage to occur, a warm and wet spring is needed. Afterward, a warm, sunny, and sufficiently wet summer is needed. Last, cool and sunny autumn days are ideal. With these conditions, the array of colors should be spectacular. A delay in the fall colors may occur when a severe late spring-summer drought exists, along with less sunlight and warmer temperatures in the fall occur. Last, the presence of an early frost can speed up the process of foliage and hurt the display of colors (WHY LEAVES CHANGE COLORS, 2011).
For this upcoming fall season, I am predicting good fall foliage across the region. A good site to use for tracking the progress of the foliage across the region is:http://www.yankeefoliage.com/live-fall-foliage-map/.
Have a great fall!
Source:
A). WHY LEAVES CHANGE COLOR, USDA FOREST SERVICE; NORTHEASTERN AREA; JULY 7TH, 2011;http://www.na.fs.fed.us/fhp/pubs/leaves/leaves.shtm
UPTON DAILY 