Is Maine’s Stellar Fall Foliage in Danger Due to Dry Weather?

The weather has been fantastic lately.

For real... with fall actually arriving in the coming days, it's been quite surprising how warm it's been. This week we may even still see some days that get well into the 80s. That ain't too shabby for the middle of September. But this time of year, a bunch of folks are looking very specifically for the next event... Fall foliage.

Read More: That Ball of Leaves in Your Maine Tree isn't a Bird's Nest 

As parts of Maine begin to edge closer to what would be peak leaf peeping times, it's worth noting that all this beautiful weather we've been having may not have the effect on leaves that we'd like. There's a lot about this late season brush of summer that could actually kinda ruin our favorite part of fall.

We're not in a drought, but it isn't really raining...

There's no absolute guarantee that our fall is shot. Not by any means. But, there's only 6 isolated days of potential rain in the extended forecast for the next month. Granted, you can't totally trust a forecast that far out, but it's all plausible. If it stays really dry, we could see a delay in leaves turning, or sometimes even turning prematurely.

Other times it can make the colors very muted, or almost even bypass the change altogether and go from green to brown almost overnight. The other problem can be that leaves will start to drop early. That would actually kind of be in line with how everything seems to have happened two weeks early this year, weather-wise.

There's some hope too...

There are two things that have happened this year that could produce amazing colors. Sometimes a mild to moderate "drought" can actually brighten the colors, if circumstances are right. Or, a warm, wet spring can also really add to the overall brightness. We've got check marks next to both of these. It's been said this year will be off the hook.

Read More: In Maine, Why are Some Leaves Changing Now, if it's Summer?

At the end of the day, we still won't know for a little bit. Mother Nature is extremely fickle, and it's all up in the air. When the change actually hits your area, because it takes a few weeks to change from north to south, you'll see how we fared. Until then, it's pure speculation. But let's cross our fingers and hope for the good stuff.