Fall foliage is expected to be excellent in the lower Hudson Valley. Here's a timeline for the best colors.

GARDINER, N.Y. -- A few trees around the Tri-State Area are already showing their true colors, but the display now pales in comparison to what's in store about one month from now.

CBS News New York meteorologist Vanessa Murdock has your fall foliage forecast, which may be muted in spots because of an invasive species. The blazing red of the Virginia Creeper grabs your attention. The Flowering Dogwood does not disappoint, displaying rich burgundy at Mohonk Preserve.

The transition from green to oh my goodness is underway. "The brilliance of the orange, yellow and red leaves. A lot of time when you see the sun go down it glistens off the tree.

It's beautiful," one person said. "A warm, fuzzy, peaceful feeling," said Brent Penfold, of Montgomery, New York. On a scale of 1 to 10, Penelope Adler-Colvin, the community science coordinator at Mohonk Preserve in Gardiner, says the 2024 fall foliage forecast is a 6 or 7, adding just how vibrant the display becomes is weather dependent.

"It should be a great season to view fall foliage," Adler-Colvin said. "We really like to see warm days and cool nights." Cool nights signal trees to start their slumber.

Chlorophyll breaks down unveiling true colors. Adler-Colvin says a cooler than normal August at Mohonk, coupled with many crisp nights lately, could trigger an earlier start to leaf-peeping season. Read more : Take a New York foliage ride by rail, water and air The average peak through much of the lower Hudson Valley is mid-October.

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