Drought and tree foliage

Hi,
can anybody tell me if the current drought affects the tree foliage already? I realized that e. g. Kyoto experiences an unusual drought with high temperatures reaching 38��C and without any rain for weeks. Usually this leads to (partly) dried leaves. Is it happening this year? In 2015 the autumn colours were quite disappointing due to the fact that the leaves turned brown and dropped before they reached colour, also because of dry weather.

Thanks in advance for any hands-on report :)

Heat and drought are not the same. Kyoto is experiencing heat but no drought. To the opposite: Kyoto received above-average rainfall in the past month. So, I don't think that the foliage has suffered much yet.

After observing the autumn colors in detail for over ten years, I came to the conclusion that it is the weather and the temperatures of the preceding 1-3 weeks that have the biggest impact on how good the colors become. Summers can be very hot, but if the conditions are good in autumn, the season can still become spectacular.

Thank you, Uji, for the quick response.
Yes indeed, Kyoto had above average rainfall last month but all the rain felt on July 5 and 6. After that date almost no rainfall was observed. This is very unusual for Kyoto and I could not find a comparable climate in any year during the last 15 years (I have access to historical records). Together with the heat which is 2��C above the usual maximum heat in Kyoto (and lasts for almost three weeks now), this might affect the tree foliage because there is no precedence to compare. This is why I asked for "on-hands" experience from somebody living in the region. Thank you.

Hi, I have done some reading on this in the past. Generally speaking, you get better autumn colour after a wet Spring and warm Summer. A sunny Autumn with warm days and cool but not freezing nights improves it still more. Having no storms in Autumn helps too.

Kyoto is experiencing an norrmal heatwave. Not an unusual drought. Fret not the condition of the leaves in November which is three months away.

The bad 2015 season was due more to the changes in temperature in autumn. I recall there was a cold spell (October) followed by warmer weather (in Nov) - it just messed up the season and the trees. It was not related to the summer or if it was dry or not afaik.