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)

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Host nation Morocco and South Africa advanced to the Africa Cup of Nations’ knockout stage on Monday, when Egypt star Mohamed Salah got a rest with his team already through.

Morocco made sure of its place in the last 16 with a 3-0 rout of Zambia. The hosts topped Group A to stay on course for having all their knockout games in Rabat’s near 70,000-capacity Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, which will also stage the final on Jan. 18.

Results in Group A, where Comoros finished third with two points, and Group B, where Angola did likewise, set off celebrations elsewhere. That's because teams with more than two points and already assured of at least third place in their groups have reached the last 16.

The four best third-place teams from the six groups progress, along with the top two in each. Head-to-head results are the first determining factor if two teams finish with the same amount of points in a group.

It means 2021 winner Senegal, Congo and Benin (because of its win over Botswana, its first ever in the tournament) are through before their final games in Group D, and defending champion Ivory Coast, five-time winner Cameroon, and Mozambique (because of its win against Gabon) are through from Group F.

Burkina Faso and Sudan are through with already-qualified Algeria from Group E because they both defeated Equatorial Guinea.

Angola, which has a better goal difference than Comoros, can still go through with two points if already-qualified Nigeria beats Uganda and Tunisia beats Tanzania in Group C on Tuesday.

Motorists honked their horns, some with flag-waving passengers on the roofs of their vehicles, and supporters blew vuvuzelas on the streets of Rabat after Morocco's win.

This time there were only cheers, after Morocco fans had whistled the team during its previous game, prompting a rebuke from team captain Achraf Hakimi on Sunday.

Ayoub El Kaabi made sure of the win in the 50th with a spectacular bicycle kick — his second of the tournament. An offside flag added to the drama as the goal was ruled out and then allowed after a VAR check confirmed El Kaabi was onside, setting off more joyous celebrations in the stadium.

They had further reason to cheer when Hakimi went on as a substitute in the 64th for his first appearance since recovering from an ankle injury.

The African Footballer of the Year will likely start Sunday, when Morocco will play one of the third-place finishers from Groups C, D or E, the first of what the home fans hope will be four wins to lift the title.

“Now a new competition begins, where there is no room for error," El Kaabi said.

Mali’s 0-0 draw with Comoros was enough to finish second in Group A with three draws. Mali midfielder Amadou Haidara was sent off late.

“If we keep playing like this, we won't stay long in the tournament,” Mali coach Tom Sainfiet said.

The Eagles will play the second-place finisher in Group D in Casablanca on Saturday, possibly Congo.

Oswin Appollis fired South Africa into the last 16 with a 3-2 win over Zimbabwe.

The Bafana Bafana progressed in second place in Group B, behind Egypt, which drew 0-0 with Angola in Agadir. Both final group games were played at the same time.

With his team already through, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan rested his regulars including Salah, Omar Marmoush, and Trézéguet. They’re set to return for the Pharaohs’ first knockout game, also in Agadir, against a third-place finisher from Groups A, C or D on Jan. 5.

South Africa needed a win in Marrakech to be sure of progress without relying on a favor from Egypt. But Zimbabwe twice came from behind and pushed for a late equalizer.

“We repeated the same mistakes as in previous games – poor passing and bad positioning,” said South Africa coach Hugo Broos, who has complained about the lack of an ”AFCON vibe" at the tournament.

South Africa awaits results in Group F as it will play the second-place finisher from that group — Ivory Coast, Cameroon or Mozambique — on Sunday.

AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations

Morocco's Achraf Hakimi comes on during the second half of the Africa Cup of Nations group A soccer match between Zambia and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Morocco's fans celebrate during the Africa Cup of Nations group A soccer match between Zambia and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Morocco's Ayoub El Kaabi celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the Africa Cup of Nations group A soccer match between Zambia and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Angola's Beni Mukendi and Egypt's Mahmoud Saber compete for the ball during the Africa Cup of Nations group B soccer match between Angola and Egypt in Agadir, Morocco, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Egypt's head coach Hossam Hassan during the Africa Cup of Nations group B soccer match between Angola and Egypt in Agadir, Morocco, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Angola's Gelson Dala, right, controls the ball past Egypt's Ahmed Zizo during the Africa Cup of Nations group B soccer match between Angola and Egypt in Agadir, Morocco, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Angola's Gelson Dala, right, kicks the ball during the Africa Cup of Nations group B soccer match between Angola and Egypt in Agadir, Morocco, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Egypt's Mohamed Salah, center, smiles as he sits on the bench ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations group B soccer match between Angola and Egypt in Agadir, Morocco, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)