John Elliott’s Fall Foliage Forecast:
A warm September has delayed the fall foliage this year, according to John Elliott of CBS 2 New York. “It’s difficult to predict the season too far in advance. There are a lot of forces at play. What you want is a little bit of moisture, not too much heat, and then some cold snaps that aren’t too cold. You also don’t want too much wind.”
So this is the time of year when you can start making more accurate NJ fall foliage forecasts. “Some people may predict the first of September, but it really depends on when the first cold snap comes in. It’s got to be just cold enough. If it’s too cold, then that messes everything up, and if it’s too windy, you lose a lot of the leaves.”
“There’s a lot of variation around right now. When you get a little bit of elevation, like you do up in Passaic or Sussex County, there’s already some pretty good color. I have a weather watcher at the Delaware Water Gap that’s sending in some pictures with pretty good color, nothing spectacular yet. We’ll need at least another week there to see great color.”
“It’ll still probably peak in mid-October, and then maybe the third week of October in and around the Hudson River and Bergen County.”
John Elliott’s NJ Fall Foliage Forecast Tips:
- “The best time for a hike is in the middle of the day, when you have the most effect of the sun, because when you’re walking beneath the trees, the colors really pop.”
- “The best time for a drive, with some of the prettiest color is later in the day.
- Partly cloudy skies are best. “The clouds obscure the direct sun. That way you actually get more of the effect of a painting. … It gives it some depth and richness. If the light is actually moving along a ridge or a hill with the sun, I think that’s prettier.”
- “Go to where there’s some elevation and some variation.” He recommends North Route 23 and Route 15 – “Route 15 already has some color – and the Palisades are always great.”
- Elliott warns everyone to be careful, “The Palisades get slippery this time of year and wherever you go, be careful. Wet leaves are slipperier than ice.”
Elliott’s father was a cabinetmaker, which explains his great respect for trees. “I’m the kind of guy who’ll just stop and say, ‘Wow. Look at that tree.’ And also I’m the kind of guy who looks up at the trees in my yard, and says, ‘Wow, who’s gonna rake all this stuff?'” John Elliott’s is a Meteorologist at CBS 2 New York and lives in Caldwell.
State Forestry Service NJ Fall Foliage Forecast:
According to the state Division of Parks and Forestry, the fall foliage season runs from now until November. There are three “waves” of fall color – yellow, orange and red – each lasting between seven and 16 days. What you want to do is time your excursion to the season’s midpoint, when those three waves intersect, for the most varied color display. New Jersey’s prime season is generally estimated to run between mid-October and early November.
You need just the right conditions for good color. That means healthy trees with no early leaf drop, bright sunny days with occasional light rain and cool, frost-free nights. Those brilliant colors come about because the trees have cut off the water supply to the leaves in preparation for winter. The dying leaves stop producing chlorophyll, which gives them their green hue, and other colors come to the surface.
According to Jon Klischies, supervising forester with the State Forestry Service, “There isn’t a major difference between the trees you’d see in New England or New York state and the trees you’d see here. “Depending upon where you are, you may have more of the sugar maples.” It all looks beautiful, whether it’s North, Central or South Jersey.”
He adds, “This year was a little drier, so I’ve noticed the walnuts and the tulip poplars and the sassafras seem to be further ahead than they were last year. Things are definitely variable right now. The swamps tend to turn a little earlier. “So you’ll see some changes, like we’ve seen for the last week, of the gums and the maples in the swamps. For about a week they’ve been turning, and we’re noticing lots of reds down there. Up in North Jersey, they’re just starting to turn.”
Klischies suggests Stokes State Forest and Wharton State Forest, as places to enjoy the best fall foliage. The Parks and Forestry website also recommends High Point, Cheesequake and Parvin State Parks as great places to go.
Fall Foliage Resources
- The Forest Resource Education Center in Jackson posts updates on its Facebook page
- State Forestry Page
