Labor Day marks the start of fall — here’s when the leaves will change where you live

Labor Day has arrived, and with it, the start of meteorological fall. Both are on September 1 this year, and it’s the day many consider to be the beginning of autumn. Astronomical fall, the day when locations on the equator have virtually equal daylight and darkness, begins three weeks later on Monday, September 22.

With both starts to fall now within range, and the summer quickly receding, many are looking forward to the cooler weather and explosion of natural colors that come with the season. However, depending on your location, you may see the changing leaves earlier or later than others in the country. But when? These two interactive maps show when the autumn leaves are expected to change color in your area in 2025.

Use these maps to reveal when the leaves will change

Two excellent interactive map tools can help reveal when the leaves are likely to change in your area. However, it should be noted that no tool is entirely accurate when predicting fall colors, and several factors, including local temperatures and rainfall, can affect when the leaves will change.

Still, as September progresses into October and October into November, the leaves will continue to change through their cascade of seasonal colors, progressing from north to south. This means that states in the northern U.S., including Washington, Montana, Wisconsin, and Vermont, will see the leaves change before those in the southern U.S., such as Texas, Louisiana, and Florida.

Smoky Mountains Fall Foliage Prediction Map

The first map comes to us from SmokeyMountains.com. The interactive tool displays the continental U.S., and you can drag the date slider beneath it to see a swath of colors gradually spread across America. These colors represent the level of coloring of the trees:

• Green: No Change
• Yellow: Minimal
• Peach: Patchy
• Orange: Partial
• Red: Near Peak
• Maroon: Peak
• Brown: Past Peak

Explore Fall’s Fall Foliage Map 2025

The second map is from ExploreFall.com, and it offers more granular controls. You can use the slider below the map to watch fall’s colors spread south. However, you can also enter the name of a city or a ZIP code to view a location’s current color conditions and the estimated peak date for the area, when colors will be at their most brilliant. The color code for this map is:

• Green: Little to No Color
• Yellow: Low Color
• Orange: Moderate Color
• Copper: High Color
• Maroon: Peak Color
• Black: Past Peak Color

When will fall colors be at their peak in 2025?

Several factors can affect when the fall colors will reach their peak, including local temperature conditions, rainfall, and other climate events. Location also plays a significant role, with northern states experiencing the leaves changing first and southern states seeing foliage turn later.

Northern states, including Montana, North Dakota, and Maine, are expected to reach their peak as early as the first week of October. And southern states, including Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, won’t be seeing their peak until late November.

However, for most of America, peak colors will occur sometime within the last ten days of October.