Pennsylvania Weekly Fall Foliage Leaf Report
Date: October 22, 2008
NORTHERN REGION (Northern Wayne County and all of Susquehanna, Bradford, Tioga, Potter and McKean Counties.)
Foliage condition at this time is: past peak
Details:Fall foliage color in the Northern Region is well past its peak. Some oaks, beech and a few sugar maples are still hanging on to their leaves but the fall foliage season is drawing to a close in northern Pennsylvania. Most areas are bare and snow showers are in the forecast this week.
This has been a beautiful autumn in northern Pennsylvania but it is time to look further south for fall color. The forests are still attractive in areas but the fall colors are quickly fading to the browns and gray of November.
CENTRAL REGION (A funnel-shaped band with its narrow end in southern Wayne and Pike Counties. It stretches across the central third of Pennsylvania to Fayette, Greene and Washington Counties. This region widens to the northwest to include Erie and Warren Counties.)
Foliage condition at this time is: Peak color has passed but some areas still have a golden glow.
Details: In eastern Pennsylvania, Monroe County and southern Pike County still have abundant color. Most of the leaves remaining are the russets and deep golden tones of the oaks. Visits to parks and forests in this area are still delightful.
In Centre County and surrounding area, high winds have brought many leaves to the ground. The mountains are still draped in scattered splashes of orange and yellow but most of the red highlights are gone.
Clearfield, Elk and southern Cameron Counties have most of their fall foliage on the ground as well. There are some flashy yellow poplar and yellow-brown beech in the northern hardwoods. Oak forests are showing sienna and ochre with some splashes of green.
In Southwestern PA, the Laurel Highlands are past the peak for foliage viewing but some areas, particularly at lower elevations, still offer some beautiful fall colors. Oaks continue to hold onto their leaves and show beautiful browns and yellows. Some stubborn maples are still showing bright red, orange and yellow. Fayette, Greene, Washington, Allegheny counties have areas still showing peak color. Scenic areas along Skyline Drive, US Route 40 east of Uniontown and PA 381 south of Route 40 are still wonderful.
In the Northwest, Erie, Crawford, Mercer, Warren, Forest, and Venango Counties are just past peak color. The bright yellow, red and orange colors evident earlier in the season have been replaced by deeper gold, chestnut brown and bronze colors. Oaks continue to display their brownish red and golden hues and some hickories are also still displaying their bright golden leaves. Many of the other species now dropping their leaves. Some green spots are still visible on the hillsides so there are still opportunities to catch the fall colors but don't delay. This may be the last week to see any large areas of color in the northwest. Routes to see the fall colors continue to be Route 62 along the Allegheny River, Route 6 in the Warren area and Route 8 from southern Venango into Erie County.
SOUTHERN REGION (Counties south and east of a line through southern Monroe, Dauphin, Bedford and southeastern Somerset Counties.)
Foliage condition at this time is: The percentage of color should reach 100% across the region this week.
Details: South Mountain, along the Adams County-Franklin County line and extending into Cumberland County, has great fall foliage this week. Many trees that turned color early are now dropping their leaves. But, there are still bright red and orange leaves on many maples and sassafras. Blackgums at Kings Gap State Park still have some scarlet leaves holding on. These bright leaves will soon fall away. The rest of the month will be dominated by shades of orange, yellow, ochre and russet brown.
Farther southeast, tuliptrees are taking on a brilliant clear yellow. White oaks are turning gold but a lot of green remains on red oaks. Windy days have brought many leaves down but we should still see two weeks of spectacular fall color between Lancaster and Philadelphia.
