Fall Foliage Can Be Seen by Satellite

 Jonathan Belles

Published: October 18, 2020

Current Fall Foliage

Leaves are changing colors across much of the country as the sun retreats southward and temperatures cool, and this change can be seen from satellites high above Earth.

Watch the landscape change from hues of green to shades of orange and yellow.

In the Northeast, tints of brown are showing up in the highest terrain of the Adirondacks and the Green and White Mountains, where leaves are past peak or completely gone.

(From the Ground: Vermont Foliage)

Valleys are still a shade of green in New York and in Vermont.

Change in Foliage in Upstate New York and Northern New England

The white coloring on all of these satellite images are clouds at various levels unless otherwise noted.

Colors are also peaking in the Virginias with shades of orange showing up throughout West Virginia, western Virginia and also in Maryland's panhandle.

(From the Ground: Maryland Foliage)

Most of Virginia east of the Appalachians has a way to go to peak with greens showing up stubbornly in the last few days.

Change in Foliage in the Virginias and Maryland

In the Great Lakes, the changes have been most pronounced in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and across northern Wisconsin, but foliage turning orange can be seen in Iowa and Illinois at the bottom left of the image as well. You can also see the rivers of Iowa pop out against the brown landscape.

(From the Ground: Michigan Foliage)

By late in the day following the first image, smoke from the western fires spread across Michigan obstructing the view. Lake-effect cloud streamers are obstructing the view over northern Lower Michigan in the second image.

Change in Foliage in Michigan and Wisconsin

Leaves have also begun to change across the Pacific Northwest.

While still heading for peak, as of Oct. 16, trees across western Washington and Oregon are yellowing while northern Idaho is near peak conditions. You'll notice the lightening of greens in the Cascades.

(From the Ground: Oregon Foliage)

Foliage is missing in chunks of the Oregon Cascades, which was burned by wildfires in September. The smoke lingered across the West Coast for weeks.

Change in Foliage in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

Foliage is now past peak in Colorado and Utah.

While these states don't have as many trees as other states covered here, there is a strong change from dark forest green in mid-September to brown earlier this week.

(From the Ground: Colorado Foliage)

In the Rockies, this foliage is covered by snow and cloud cover and snow will soon become far more frequent.

Change in Foliage in Utah and Colorado

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.