The leaves are starting to change, so what can the region expect for fall foliage this year?

“It seems like we’ve been ushering in a pretty typical fall,” explained Cecile Stelter, district forester at Cornplanter State Forest District in Warren. She is the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ regional spokesperson for fall foliage predictions.

Of course, she added, weather plays a big role in what we will see.

“There have been some predictions of a drought this fall,” she said. “If we get into a prolonged dry spell, that could dull the leaves.”

The best visuals will come if the weather stays similar to what it has been lately, Stelter said.

“With warmer days and cool but not cold nights — a hard freeze would cause the leaves to drop off now without changing,” she said, “nights in the low 40s are ideal. Bright sunny days and rain at least once a week, that would set us up for a brilliant season.”

However, heavy rains would knock the leaves down without changing.

According to Accuweather, the forecast for the remainder of September is similar to what Stelter described for ideal conditions.

“I think everyone should start to see a hint of color by the end of the month,” she said.

“In the Bradford area the peak will hit around the 12th to the 19th of October,” Stelter explained. In Warren, the peak will come a little later, starting around Oct. 19.

“We have such a long foliage season,” she said, adding that if one were to miss the peak where they live, they can take an hour-long trip and see leaves at their peak in another region of the state.

“Of course, as far as coloration goes, Pennsylvania has anywhere between 115 to 135 different native tree species,” Stelter continued. “Each one of those species have different colorations, and individual trees within that species can change differently. We have a whole palette here in Pennsylvania.”