PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Fall is again, and bringing with it jack-o’-lanterns, soccer, pumpkin spice all the things and — in some components of the nation — particularly vibrant foliage.

Leaves across the northern U.S. are beginning to flip orange, yellow and crimson, inspiring legions of leaf lovers to hop of their vehicles and journey to the countryside for the perfect take a look at fall’s fireworks. Leaf peeping — the act of touring to witness nature’s annual kaleidoscope — contributes billions of {dollars} to the financial system, particularly in New England and New York.

However this yr, a few of the most colourful shows may very well be within the Midwest. AccuWeather, the business forecasting service, stated in early September that it expects particularly vibrant foliage in states akin to Michigan and Illinois.

The service additionally stated highly effective, popping colours are anticipated in upstate New York and components of Pennsylvania, whereas New England will comply with a extra typical colour sample. However that doesn’t imply New England vacationers will miss out.

Maine, probably the most forested state within the nation, had “an abundance of every day sunshine with simply the correct quantity of rainfall to set the stage for a panoramic foliage season,” stated Gale Ross, the state’s fall foliage spokesperson. Colour change and timing rely upon the climate within the fall, however cooler nighttime temperatures and shorter days ought to improve the colours, Ross stated.

“The rising season of 2024 has been glorious for timber, supporting tree well being and resilience that ought to result in sensible fall colours all through Maine,” stated Aaron Bergdahl, the state’s forest pathologist.

Fall colours peak at completely different instances across the U.S., with the foliage season typically beginning not lengthy after Labor Day within the far northern reaches of the nation and lengthening into November additional to the south. In Maine alone, peak foliage can arrive within the northern a part of the state in late September and never arrive in coastal areas till near Halloween.

Leaf flip occurs when summer season yields to fall and temperatures drop and the quantity of daylight decreases. Chlorophyll in leaves then breaks down, and that enables their fall colours to shine by earlier than leaf drop.

Nonetheless, climate situations related to local weather change have disrupted some current leaf peeping seasons. A warming planet has introduced drought that causes leaves to show brown and wither earlier than reaching peak colours.

Different enemies of leaf peeping embrace warmth waves that trigger leaves to fall earlier than autumn arrives and excessive climate occasions like hurricanes that strip timber of their leaves. A summer season heatwave within the Pacific Northwest in 2021 brought about a situation referred to as “foliage scorch” that prematurely browned leaves.

This yr in Maine, leaf flip was nonetheless very sparse in a lot of the state as late September approached, however the state workplace of tourism was already gearing up for an inflow of vacationers. Northern Maine was already experiencing reasonable colour change. And neighboring New Hampshire was anticipating about 3.7 million guests — greater than twice the state’s inhabitants.

“It’s no shock folks journey from everywhere in the world to catch the unimaginable colour,” stated NH Journey and Tourism Director Lori Harnois.