Fall Foliage 2025 Weekly Forecast Maps Show When Colors Will Peak In MA

MASSACHUSETTS —Several predictive maps can take some of the guesswork out of planning fall leaf-peeping tours around Massachusetts — or wherever you might decide to travel to see autumn foliage at its most brilliant.

No predictive tool is 100 percent accurate, but it can give leaf peepers a pretty good shot at seeing autumn leaves when they turn their most blazing reds, vibrant orange and sunny yellows.

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Weather can have a big effect. Leaves need warm, sunny days, but also crisp but not freezing nights to bring about the most spectacular color show. Both rainfall and drought can also affect its vibrancy, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

This weekend should provide an excellent jump start with highs in the 70s and lows dipping down near 40 degrees at night.

According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac’s predictive map, foliage will begin to change over the next couple of weeks, with full peak across the state on Oct. 20.

The competing Farmers’ Almanac offers a state-by-state guide of peak dates, as well as the top leaf-peeping destinations. Inland parts of the Bay State should be at peak color from Oct. 5 through Oct. 21, with coastal locations Oct. 12 through Oct. 28.

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To use a predictive tool from Explore Fall, click on the state you want to visit, then use the slider tool to determine the best time to visit. It’ll show where travelers are most likely to see "high color" and "peak color," and when the foliage is past its prime.

Peak colors will start to show, according to that tool, around the second week of October and last about two weeks.

AccuWeather expects fall foliage in Massachusetts to be particularly vibrant this fall, with a peak around mid-October.

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What Causes The Different Colors?

You may remember from science class that the color change all starts with photosynthesis. Leaves constantly churn out chlorophyll — a key component in a plant’s ability to turn sunlight into the glucose it needs to thrive — from spring through early fall. Those cells saturate the leaves, making them appear green to the human eye.

But leaves aren't green at all. Autumn is the time for leaves' big reveal: their true color, unveiled as chlorophyll production grinds to a halt. The colors in fall's breathtaking tapestry are influenced by other compounds, according to the national park’s website.

Beta-carotene, the same pigment that makes carrots orange, reflects the yellow and red light from the sun and gives leaves an orange hue.

The production of anthocyanin, which gives leaves their vivid red color, ramps up in the fall, protecting and prolonging the leaf’s life on a tree throughout autumn.

And those yellows that make you feel as if you're walking in a ray of sunshine?

They're produced by flavonol, which is part of the flavonoid protein family. It's always present in leaves but doesn’t show itself until chlorophyll production begins to slow.

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