Current weather conditions could impact upcoming fall foliage in Pittsburgh

Despite the cooler weather this week, you probably haven’t thought much about fall foliage yet. But, our weather now can affect what we see in a couple months.

To get the best fall colors, we need several things. First, we need a warm and wet spring which we certainly had with over 16″ of rain from March through May. Secondly, we need to avoid major drought issues during the summer, which has unfortunately been a problem. Extended periods of drought can lead to leaves falling prematurely and a delayed onset to the colors, and that’s a concern this year.

Lastly, we look for sunny days in early fall along with cool, crisp, clear nights. That allows lots of sugar to be produced and trapped which allows for vibrant colors to appear. This is something to watch closely as we head into the next several weeks.

Typically, peak foliage in our area isn’t until mid-October, but factors in early fall such as temperature, precipitation, and cloud cover can obviously affect when we see our peak and how vibrant the color is. Given what we have seen so far, this may be sub-optimal season for foliage, but there’s still time for things to change.

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