Drought has muted this year's leaf-peeping season, but pockets of brilliant colors remain

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Leaf-peeping season has arrived in the Northeast and beyond, but weeks of drought have muted this year's autumn colors, and sent leaves fluttering to the ground earlier than usual.

Soaking in the fall foliage is an annual tradition in the New England states as well as areas such as the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina and Upper Peninsula of Michigan. As the days shorten and temperatures drop, chlorophyll in leaves breaks down, and they turn to the autumn tones of yellow, orange and red.

But dry weather in summer and fall can change all that because the lack of water causes leaves to brown and fall more quickly. And that's happening this year, as more than 40% of the country was considered to be in a drought in early October, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

That's more than twice the average, said Brad Rippey, a U.S. Department of Agriculture meteorologist and an author of the drought monitor, which is a partnership between the federal government and University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Drought has hit the Northeast and Western U.S. especially hard, he said.

It all adds up to fewer leaves to peep.

“I think it might be a little bit of a short and less colorful season, for the most part,” Rippey said. “The color is just not going to be there this year for some hillsides.”

Despite the gloomy forecast, autumn enthusiasts said it's still a great year to get out and enjoy nature's fireworks display. Yellows and reds are popping in popular destinations including Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire and Ricketts Glen State Park in Pennsylvania.

There is still a lot of color in New England's trees, said Andy Finton, senior conservation ecologist with The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts.

Climate change is stressing forests with severe weather and heat waves, but autumn in New England remains a beautiful time of year to experience the wonderment of forest ecosystems firsthand, he said.

“Our trees and our forests have an inherent resilience,” Finton said. “They are still very resilient, and I am constantly surprised at how wonderful the fall season is despite these stresses.”

Watch an AP livestream of fall foliage around the Northeast on Tuesday.

The tourism business built around leaf peeping has also proven resilient. At the Mills Falls Resort Collection at the Lake in Meredith, New Hampshire, general manager Barbara Beckwith said business is good at the four inns that have 170 rooms. The number of Canadian tourists is down, Beckwith acknowledged, but she said that has been made up with domestic leaf peepers, mostly from New England.

Beckwith said her properties were booked solid on weekends through mid-October and had been for weeks.

“This year is actually going to be better than last year,” Beckwith said. “Last year was an election and that put a lot of trepidation in people. Now, they are traveling. The uncertainty of the election is over. We all know who's president now and we are traveling.”

Chris Proulx, executive director of the Mount Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce, said the decline in Canadian tourists by as much as 80% seen this summer has continued into the fall. But the region is faring better, he said, thanks to an uptick in travelers from other countries and its reputation for having one of the country’s best leaf peeping seasons.

“This is the one season where people make plans in advance to come in addition to travelers from all of the country and all over the world,” Proulx said.

Leaf peeping was so popular in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains this year that one town temporarily closed its highway offramp to alleviate gridlock. The area put on a display of yellow aspen trees dotting the mountains between evergreens, their delicate leaves vibrating in the wind.

But there were signs of a dry spring in the central part of the state, which was more severe the farther west you travel, said Colorado State Forest Service entomologist Dan West, who spends many fall days in a plane looking at how insect infestations are affecting tree health.

Crispy edges, muted colors, and dropping leaves before they can take on a red or purple hue are all signs of drought stress, West said.

“The tree is shutting down processes early and we basically just see this muted kind of a show for the fall,” he said.

In Denver, arborist Michael Sundberg also said he's seeing less vibrant color than usual, and autumn feels like it arrived earlier than usual this year. It's still a beautiful time of year, but there might be less of it to enjoy, he said.

“It's weird to have color peaking this early in the mountains and then for Denver to be peaking at the same time,” he said. “Usually we're later in October before we really go off.”

Casey reported from Boston. Associated Press journalist Brittany Peterson contributed reporting from Denver.

Jessie Bodette, of East Middlebury, Vt., picks apples at Sunrise Orchards in Cornwall, Vt., Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Amanda Swinhart)

A person jogs past the U.S. Capitol amid fall foliage, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Visitors walk on Wiggly Bridge in York, Maine, on their way to view fall foliage on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrique Ngowi)

Visitors walk on Wiggly Bridge in York, Maine, on their way to view fall foliage on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrique Ngowi)

Visitors walk on Wiggly Bridge in York, Maine, on their way to view fall foliage on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrique Ngowi)

Fall foliage colors frame the banks of Mousam River in Kennebunk, Maine, on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrique Ngowi)

Jessie Bodette, of East Middlebury, Vt., picks apples at Sunrise Orchards in Cornwall, Vt., Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Amanda Swinhart)

Jessie Bodette, left, of East Middlebury, Vt., picks apples with her mother, Leslie Bodette, at Sunrise Orchards in Cornwall, Vt., Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Amanda Swinhart)

A maple tree is pictured at Sunrise Orchards in Cornwall, Vt., Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Amanda Swinhart)

Highland cattle from the Star Lake Cattle Company, who have bred many National Champions, walk past trees with colorful fall foliage, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Georges Mills, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

A student walks past trees with colorful fall foliage, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Henniker, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Highland cattle from the Star Lake Cattle Company, who have bred many National Champions, rest near trees with colorful fall foliage, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Georges Mills, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Trees with colorful fall foliage line the banks of the Contoocook River near a covered bridge, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Henniker, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Highland cattle from the Star Lake Cattle Company, who have bred many National Champions, walk past trees with colorful fall foliage, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Georges Mills, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

A person walks along a path as fall foliage turns at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard in Boston, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Leah Willingham)

People walk along a path as fall foliage turns at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard in Boston, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Leah Willingham)

A person runs along a path as fall foliage turns at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard in Boston, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Leah Willingham)

Water flows over Ganoga Falls amongst the Autumn foliage at Ricketts Glen State Park in Benton, Pa., Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Hikers move amongst the fall foliage at Ricketts Glen State Park in Benton, Pa., Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

A rafter of wild turkeys gather on a driveway, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in East Derry, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Bald eagles sit in a tree on Spieden Island, Wash., Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Clouds cast shadows on the mountains behind the Pioneer Farm, also known as the Wallace Farm, in Columbia, N.H., on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Holly Ramer)

Cyclists ride among yellow aspen leaves Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025 in Frisco, Colo. (AP Photo/Brittany Peterson)

Black spots dot yellow aspen leaves Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025 in Frisco, Colo. (AP Photo/Brittany Peterson)

Clouds sit over fall foliage in Clarksville, N.H., on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Holly Ramer)

A couple, wearing protective high-visibility clothing due to hunting season, take a walk at dawn, as trees of in the distance turn to fall foliage colors, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Chester, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

The view from Artists Bluff, a popular destination for fall foliage in Franconia Notch State Park in Franconia, N.H., Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Holly Ramer)

Morning mist hovers over a field as leaves turn to fall foliage colors at sunrise along a country road, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Auburn, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Maple leaves turn to fall foliage colors at sunrise along a country road, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Auburn, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Iran fired missiles at Israel and some Gulf nations while explosions could be heard around Tehran and the central Iranian city of Isfahan on Friday, as the United States prepared to further reinforce its already significant military forces in the Middle East.

As the war that began Feb. 28 was to enter its sixth week, Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait warned about incoming missile fire, although it was unclear if anything was struck. Activists reported strikes around Tehran and the central city of Isfahan but it wasn’t immediately clear what was hit.

Iran’s attacks on Gulf region energy infrastructure and its tight grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas transits in peacetime, has sent oil prices skyrocketing.

Oil prices surged while Asian financial markets rose moderately during cautious trading. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 11.4% to $111.54 a barrel. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 7.8% to $109.03 per barrel.

U.S. President Donald Trump said U.S. forces will keep hitting Iran “very hard” in the next two or three weeks.

The largest American aircraft carrier in service sailed out of Split, in Croatia and “remains poised for full mission tasking in support of national objectives in any area of operation,” the Navy’s 6th Fleet announced.

It was unclear where it was going. The USS Abraham Lincoln remains in the Arabian Sea and the USS George H. W. Bush aircraft carrier departed Norfolk on Wednesday to head to the Mideast.

Here is the latest:

Oil prices continued to surge on worries of a prolonged Iran war but the Asian markets that were open Friday rose moderately in cautious trading, while others were closed for the Good Friday holidays.

Benchmark U.S. crude rose 11.4% to $111.54 a barrel. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 7.8% to $109.03 per barrel.

The U.S. only relies on the Persian Gulf for a fraction of the oil it imports, but oil is a commodity and prices are set in a global market.

The situation is very different in Asia. Japan, for example, relies on access to the Strait of Hormuz for much of the nation’s oil import needs and would need to rely on alternative routes. But some analysts say Japan and oher nations are counting on an agreement with Iran to allow transports.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 0.9% in Friday morning trading to 52,938.62. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 2.1% to 5,344.41. The Shanghai Composite sank 0.5% to 3,899.57. Trading was closed in Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia and India.

Wall Street, where trading is closed Friday, finished its first winning week since the start of the Iran war, although trading started out with a decline driven by a surge in oil prices.

Bangladesh is curtailing office hours and enforcing early closure of malls and shops beginning Friday to handle its energy crisis related to the war.

The country’s cabinet ordered 30% spending cuts for fuel and power at government offices, suspended some staff training and stopped purchases of new vehicles, ships and aircraft. Decorative lighting will not be allowed for celebrations.

Bangladesh, a nation of more than 170 million people, is seeking alternative fuel sources and $2.5 billion in external financing for imports, which account for 95% of its fuel.

Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen on Friday urged motorists getting away for a long weekend during the Easter holiday to fill up in cities because most of the nation’s fuel shortages are in rural areas.

Among 2,400 gas stations in New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, 182 had run out of diesel by Friday.

In Australia’s second-most populous state, Victoria, 76 gas stations were out of diesel. In the remaining states ranked by the most populous first, Queensland had 75 stations without diesel, Western Australia had 37, South Australia had 28 and in Tasmania there were seven.

“For those Australians planning a road trip this weekend, given our shortages are predominantly in rural and regional Australia, it makes sense to fill up in the city to help the country if you can,” Bowen said in Sydney.

The government, which blamed regional shortages on panic buying and distribution problems, is concentrating on delivering fuel to farmers for planting crops.

Israeli security forces and rescue teams inspect a site struck by an Iranian missile in Petah Tikva, Israel,Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

A newly constructed bridge struck by U.S. airstrikes Thursday is seen in Karaj, west of Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A newly constructed bridge struck by U.S. airstrikes Thursday is seen in Karaj, west of Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A bridge struck by U.S. airstrikes on Thursday is seen in the town of Karaj, west of Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Israeli security forces and rescue teams inspect a site struck by an Iranian missile in Petah Tikva, Israel,Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Members from the Popular Mobilization Forces attend a funeral of fighters who were killed in a U.S. airstrike, in Tal Afar, Nineveh province, north of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

A man with burn wounds from an Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon sits on a bed at the Sidon Government Hospital in Sidon, Lebanon, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

A boy who fled with his family following Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon sits inside the van they are using as shelter in Sidon, Lebanon, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

President Donald Trump arrives from the Blue Room to speak about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)