© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

CT got hit hard by rain this summer. Here's what that means for fall foliage

Fall Foliage in Connecticut
John Greim
/
Getty Images
Fall Foliage in Connecticut

Leer en Español

Experts say Connecticut’s leaf-peeping season will begin and peak a little later this year due to the heavy rainfall earlier this summer.

Heavy rainfall means healthier green leaves that will take longer to die, said Thomas Worthley, associate extension professor for the University of Connecticut’s Forestry Extension Program. This means a later start to the fall season and a more gradual change.

“The annual senescence is dependent on three things: air temperature, moisture availability, and the amount of sunlight during the day,” Worthley said. “Some species of trees are more sensitive to one thing than another.”

While it’s too early to know for certain what the temperature and sunlight levels will be, the summer's excess moisture improves the health of leaves that will now take longer to change color in the fall.

“There might not be quite as much red in some places,” Worthley said. “I think we'll probably see brighter yellows and oranges.”

Aside from a longer leaf-peeping season, he said this is good news for air quality.

“It’s the green leaves that are important,” Worthley said. “There's trillions of little oxygen factories out there that draw carbon out of the atmosphere, and give us oxygen in return.”

Worthley said it is still too early to tell exactly when Connecticut’s peak foliage will hit — that will be easier to determine after northern New Hampshire and Vermont experience their own peaks.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Related Content
Connecticut Public’s journalism is made possible, in part by funding from Jeffrey Hoffman and Robert Jaeger.