2024, 3rd~Autumn Foliage Peak Forecast~
Peak timing expected to delay nationwide
Coloring gradually accelerates in November
Press Release
Japan Weather Association (JWA) released the second Autumn Foliage Peak Forecast on October 31, 2024. This will be the last issue of “Autumn Foliage Peak Forecast” for this season.

【Autumn Foliage Peak Forecast for Various Regions Across the Country】
This year, the peak viewing period for autumn foliage is expected to be later than usual in many areas in eastern Japan and in many of areas where the peak is approaching in northern Japan. In western Japan, it is likely to be around the same time or later than usual.
Temperatures in October continued to be higher than average nationwide, as in September. However, there were also periods when the temperatures temporarily cooled down due to the impact of cold air, resulting in winter days with daily minimum temperatures below 0℃ in northern Japan as well as in the inland areas of the Kanto region. Due in part to this, Kushiro, Asahikawa, and Obihiro in Hokkaido, where the maple leaf coloring dates have already been announced by the meteorological observatory, are experiencing autumn foliage later than usual, but earlier than last year. In addition, in the famous autumn foliage spots of the Tohoku and Kanto regions, mainly in mountainous areas, there is an increase in the number of locations that have already reached their peak viewing period, such as Naruko Gorge in Miyagi Prefecture and Nikko in Tochigi Prefecture.
Looking ahead, temperatures in November are expected to remain high, leading to a slow progression of color change in many locations. However, from the second week of November, temperatures will be average or below average mainly in northern Japan, and then in late November, the high-temperature trend will gradually ease. Consequently, even in the plain areas of eastern and western Japan, there will be days when minimum temperatures will drop into single digits. It is likely that days with suitable conditions for coloring progress will gradually come more and more frequent.
【Autumn Foliage Peak Forecast by Region】
■Northern Japan (Hokkaido and Tohoku)
In places where the peak viewing period for autumn foliage is coming up, it is expected to be later than usual.
From September to October, temperatures remained high, but there were periods when the temperatures were temporarily below previous years due to the impact of cold air. In the Hokkaido region and the mountainous autumn foliage spots of the Tohoku region, which were strongly impacted by cold air, the autumn foliage relatively progressed smoothly, and there were spots where the peak viewing period was earlier than last year. On the other hand, in the autumn foliage spots of the Tohoku plain areas, the cold was not sufficient. In November, it is expected that the number of cold days will gradually increase, but like last year, the peak viewing period for autumn foliage is likely to be later than usual.
In various locations, the autumn foliage is expected to peak as follows: At Kosetsuen Garden in southern Hokkaido, it is expected to peak in early to mid-November, and at Morioka Castle Ruins Park in Iwate Prefecture, it is expected to peak in early to late November.
■Eastern Japan (Kanto Koshin, Hokuriku, and Tokai)
The peak viewing period for autumn foliage is expected to be later than usual.
From September to October, temperatures remained high. However, in some autumn foliage spots of mountainous areas, the coloring progressed smoothly due to the temporary cold air. The high temperature trend is expected to gradually ease in November, but the effects of the high temperatures by now will delay the peak viewing period to view the autumn foliage in many spots.
In various locations, the autumn foliage is expected to peak as follows: At Kenrokuen Garden in Ishikawa Prefecture, it is expected to peak in late November to early December, at Ueno Park in Tokyo in late November to mid-December, and Ise Jingu in Mie Prefecture in late November to late December.
■Western Japan (Kinki, Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu)
The peak viewing period for autumn foliage is expected to be around the same time or later than usual.
In October, temperatures remained higher than previous years. The high-temperature trend is expected to continue through November, but in late November, it is likely to ease.
For this reason, the autumn foliage spots of mountainous areas, where the color change is early in western Japan, are significantly impacted by the October high temperatures, delaying the peak viewing period to view the autumn foliage in many areas. On the other hand, as the high-temperature trend will gradually ease in November, the peak viewing period in the autumn foliage spots of the plain areas is expected to be around the same time or slightly later in many areas.
In various locations, the autumn foliage is expected to peak as follows: Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto Prefecture and Matsuyama Castle in Ehime Prefecture, it is expected to peak in early December to mid-December, Okayama Korakuen Garden in Okayama Prefecture in late November to mid-December, and Akizuki Castle Ruins in Fukuoka Prefecture in late November to early December.
【JWA’s Autumn Foliage Forecast】
For more information about JWA’s autumn foliage forecast, please refer to the link below:
https://www.jwa.or.jp/english/service/seasonal-news-autumn-foliage-forecast/
【Autumn Foliage Forecast by tenki.jp】 *Available in only Japanese.
Details of the “Best Viewing Forecast for Autumn Foliage in 2024” and information of nationwide autumn foliage spots other than the above major spots are available on “tenki.jp”.
https://tenki.jp/kouyou/expectation.html
The status updates on the coloring in various regions can be found on the links below.
PC: https://tenki.jp/kouyou/
Tablet / Smartphone: https://tenki.jp/lite/kouyou/
Unauthorized corporate use of this information (such as quoting in press releases or using for promotional purposes) is prohibited. If you are considering corporate use for product PR, please contact us via the inquiry form (https://www.jwa.or.jp/english/contact/).
Originally released in Japanese: 2024/10/31
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