Understanding Why Leaves Are Falling Earlier Than Usual This Year

You are not alone if you have noticed that some leaves may be falling from the trees earlier than usual. Are the fallen leaves a signal of an early arrival of the fall season? Climate experts are saying not so fast.

Tree Stress Explains the Early Falling Leaves

A trending story on social media this week has been the unusual proliferation of falling leaves. Although the astronomical autumn does not officially kick off until September 22, many people are wondering if this is the start of the fall season already. Climatologists say that more leaves are falling at an earlier time this year due to widespread drought conditions.

Drought conditions have been spreading across portions of New England, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania since the beginning of August. Because this corner of the country is home to several of the nation's largest urban areas, it makes sense that social media platforms have seen a noticeable uptick in people posting the signs of an early start to fall.

The good news for the Northeast is that a surge of moisture over the last week has significantly chipped away at the drought. This precipitation will hopefully stem the tide of the falling leaves in the short term.

It will be a different situation in the Mississippi Valley and throughout the bulk of the Rocky Mountain region. For instance, increasing drought conditions in the Rockies are translating to the region's Aspen trees turning to a vibrant yellow much earlier in the season than the norm. These trees typically do not begin to make their transition until the end of September, putting some areas about a month ahead of schedule.

The problem is not specific to the U.S. Leaves are also already making their way to the ground in places such as London, United Kingdom, and Paris, France. Both of these areas of Europe are also experiencing drought conditions.