Leaf-peeping season has arrived in the Northeast and beyond, but weeks of drought have muted this year’s autumn colors and sent leaves fluttering to the ground earlier than usual.

Soaking in the fall foliage is an annual tradition in the New England states as well as areas such as the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Chlorophyll in leaves breaks down as the days shorten and temperatures drop, which prompts the autumn color tones of yellow, orange and red.

But dry weather in summer and fall can change all that because the lack of water causes leaves to brown and fall more quickly. And that’s happening this year, as more than 40% of the country was considered to be in a drought in early October, ac

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