Windy, wet weather shouldn't impact LI fall foliage

No need to fret just yet, Long Island leaf peepers.

The windy, wet weather shouldn't effect the fall foliage outlook: Long Island's trees don't typically change colors until the end of October or early November, an expert says.

That means the chlorophyll is not yet breaking down, and the chemical process that severs a leaf has not begun - both of which make leaves easy prey for wind.

Donald J. Leopold, chair of the Department of Environmental and Forest Biology at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, said Long Island's fall color season may come about a week earlier than normal this year.

The key will be the weather leading up to the color change. Cool, dry days with lots of sun tend to produce vibrant fall colors. Wet, windy weather as the leaves are changing could cause a premature end to the season.

"It's one of the most unpredictable phenomena in nature in terms of color and longevity because it depends on the weather," Leopold said.

Elsewhere in the state, peak conditions have been reported in the Catskills, capital-Saratoga, Thousand Islands-Seaway and Chautauqua-Allegheny regions, according to a weekly fall foliage report from the Empire State Development's I Love New York program.

The reports are based on observations from volunteer leaf peepers and observers.