Fall Foliage Quickly Moving to Peak Levels in the Hudson Valley

Is it just me or did the Hudson Valley change overnight?

First off, Happy October. Heading into last weekend, the first official weekend of fall, we saw a small change in fall foliage colors in the Hudson Valley. If you haven't looked outside recently or taken in your surroundings, you'll see that the vibrance of fall is most definitely starting to pop in our neck of the woods.

ILoveNY.com updates its fall foliage reports weekly, with information picked up from volunteer foliage spotters around the state.

It's safe to say the spotters have been reporting big changes.

The Catskills and Adirondack regions are near peak foliage colors or at peak. A lot of change can happen in just a few days.

The Hudson Valley report is saying "color change is coming on strong in Dutchess County." They are reporting a 50% color change with "bright oranges and yellows" taking over the trees in the Poughkeepsie area, while Beacon is seeing a 40% change.  Changing colors mean one thing: some amazing views from the top on Mount Beacon.

Shades of red, purple, and orange will be coming to the treetops in Ulster County, leaf spotters are reporting a 60% change in the Kingston area.

In the lower Hudson Valley, in places like Westchester, Putnam County and Cold Spring, there's only about a 10% change. If you're in the area you'll see bright green, yellow and red leaves starting to take over.

Of course, the color change in the Hudson Valley also means traffic around the area will be insane thanks to all those visiting from the city.

Will you be doing some leaf-