Look out, leaf-peepers: Vivid year for fall colors on the horizon
Vivid year for fall colors on the horizon
Even as the 70-degree days hold on into October, the little signs of fall are popping up.
The Pirates have given way to the Penguins, and people might want to check the forecast before heading out without a jacket.
And each day, the endless stretches of green that people see on drives and hikes are becoming interrupted by splashes of red, orange and yellow.
While few will miss a summer of hot weather interspersed with storms, people looking ahead to the fall forecast for Southwestern Pennsylvania say the next month could be even more picturesque than usual.
The best fall foliage comes from summers with near-normal temperatures that are also on the wetter side, said Colton Milcarek, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh.
Temperatures were above average, but steered clear of exceptional heat waves that might lead to muted landscapes for leaf-peepers down the road, Milcarek said.
“While we did stay above average for most of the summer, we didn’t have exceptional heat waves,” he said. “So combined with the above average precipitation that we saw, we might see maybe a slight enhancement.”
What might clinch vivid colors is the early fall the region is experiencing now and expected to have for much of the next month: warm, sunny days paired with cool, crisp nights with no early hard freezes.
“I’d say overall, the region’s probably favored for more vibrant colors than average, and certainly more vibrant than the last couple of years,” he said.
The most eye-popping colors could come in the areas that saw the most rainfall this summer, Milcarek said — in Southwestern Pennsylvania, Washington and Westmoreland counties.
The abundant rain across the region will be reflected in a couple of ways, depending on the species, said Dave Planinsek, a Department of Conservation and Natural Resources forester for the Forbes State Forest district across Fayette, Somerset and Westmoreland counties.
Some species, like black cherry, are more susceptible to leaf spot disease, a fungal disease that causes its leaves to brown and drop early.
For oak, the extra rainfall translates to a healthy deep green, which will turn into rich yellows and browns in late October, Planinsek said.
“They’ve had a really productive growing season just because of all the rain, and they’re less susceptible to get those wheat diseases,” he said. “So that should translate into the good fall color.”
The diverse forests in Southwestern Pennsylvania extend that fall color season, boasting a variety of tree species with their own timetables for the most impressive displays, Planinsek said.
“We have trees that are starting to turn right now, like our maples, some of the birch,” he said. “Later on, it’ll transition to more of the oak foliage that we’ll see later in October.”
The rolling terrain of southwest Pennsylvania adds its own variety. Leaves are beginning to turn in the Laurel Highlands, which should start peaking in color around the middle of October, Planinsek said.
“Those highest elevations we’re talking about — Chestnut Ridge, Laurel Ridge, and then Mount Davis in southern Somerset County — those will be our first areas to see good color,” Planinsek said. “So I always encourage people to get out and see those areas.”
The DCNR’s first weekly fall foliage report of the season, released Friday, lists Fayette, Greene and Washington counties as just starting to turn.
For most parts of the region, the annual show should peak around the third or fourth week in October, though the warmer-than-average temperatures could delay it slightly, Milcarek said.
“We’re still probably forecasting fairly close to that end of October time range for peak color, maybe trickling into early November for some of the river valleys and hotter areas,” he said.
How long can that peak last? It depends on how long the area can avoid a hard freeze. Frosty temperatures will shut down the color production, and cause leaves to start falling off, Milcarek said.
An exceptionally windy day in late fall can also turn trees from dazzling to barren overnight.
Navigating those two hazards — and keeping the warm days and cool nights — will maximize the window for people trying to hit all their favorite fall-gazing spots.
“We’re too far out to outlook that,” Milcarek said. “It’d be more of a real-time weather tracking as we get toward the end of this month.”