‘A little bit of early color’: How the Lehigh Valley’s fall foliage season is shaping up

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Autumn officially starts Sunday, Sept. 22, but trees in the Lehigh Valley and beyond are starting to pop brilliant yellows, oranges and reds.

“We're seeing a little bit of early color, perhaps earlier than some years past, recently, and that's really connected to the dryness and the recent cold nights that we've had,” said Ryan Reed, a program specialist with the state Department of Conservation and National Resources.

“And when you add dryness to the equation, you get this early smattering of color, especially on the drier, more exposed sites that don't have the cover of shade nearby.

“So, what folks are noticing are the splotches of color along the drier edges. And it's interesting, because this is some of the earliest color I've noticed.”

Leaf-peeping season is right around the corner in the Valley, moving from north to south as temperatures drop into fall across the commonwealth.

The Valley generally peaks in mid-to-late October. While dry, cool weather preceding the season could bring an earlier peak, experts said, it could also condense the season.

But an earlier and/or shorter season doesn’t mean the colors will be dull or muted.

“I think we're going to have a really beautiful year,” said Reed, who is in his eighth year forecasting fall foliage for the state. “I think it's going to be very vibrant.

“Typically, the most vibrant years are often some of the drier years. So, I think that we're setting up well for a beautiful season.”

‘What have you done for me lately?’

In the Valley and in areas south, the leaves on some trees, especially those on the edge of more densely wooded areas, or in landscaping and parking lots, have begun to change colors.

And, some of those leaves are already turning brown, curling up and dropping to the ground.

The premature leaf drops can be attributed to weather patterns over the last several months, especially recently, EPAWA meteorologist Bobby Martrich said.

“It's a little early, about two weeks early, but that's largely attributed to how dry it's been,” he said. “With fall, it's almost like, ‘What have you done for me lately?’ And lately it's been bone dry.

“I know we had that stretch up through about Musikfest, where it was a little wetter, and then since then, it's been like hardly anything.”

In mid-August, the Valley was soaked after a cold front combined with moisture from Tropical Storm Debby.

Then, the weather got weird, with temperatures impressively cooler than average, before the region warmed up again to near-record heat.

“This last month has been a little bit too dry, and that's really going to cause things to go a little bit faster than they normally would, as far as changing colors,” Martrich said.

“And, in some cases, just dropping without even really — I'm already getting that in my yard — they’re turning brown and starting to fall off of some of them.”

Over the past month, there’s been a lack of rain in the Valley and areas south — the key ingredient needed for photosynthesis.

“If a tree doesn't have that, then it can't make food, and that defeats the purpose of having chlorophyll — the green in the leaves,” Reed said.

“So a tree is not going to be stimulated to regenerate if there's not enough water. It's not economical for it to do that.

“And so that chlorophyll, the green color, begins to degrade, and then these longer lasting pigments begin to shine through.

"If that continues, then you will see the same progression — those colors will persist for a little while, and then the leaves will turn brown and fall.”

Typically, when there’s a dry lead-up to the fall foliage season, it’ll shorten it.

“If you could expect in an area, maybe say there's two weeks of really nice color — there’s the lead up before, then you have the peak and then you have that tail end where it's still kind of nice,” he said.

“Let's just say that that's two weeks. Well, you can expect that to be shortened by anywhere from a few days to a week.

“And, like I said, it goes back to that whole water accounting.”

‘A false fall foliage season’

If residents have recently spotted a tree already covered in golds, reds or oranges, they’re experiencing a false start to the season.

“Essentially, where it's extremely dry, you're seeing almost like a false fall foliage season, and that doesn't represent the forest overall,” Reed said.

“If you take a mile hike through the interior of the forest, you're not really seeing it as pronounced, and that's because the forest is shaded, so there's a lot more water retention in the soil, typically.”

In areas north of the Valley, in the Slate Belt and the Poconos, where it’s more densely wooded, trees are still green.

In the southern tier of the Poconos, southern Monroe and Carbon counties, full color is at less than 5%, with 99% of the leaves on the trees, according to the forecast posted by the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau.

"Fall may be the shortest season we enjoy here in the Pocono Mountains, but it is among the most popular for visitors and those of us who call this region home," bureau President Chris Barrett said.

"The PMVB is excited to share with everyone the awe-inspiring show from Mother Nature this season."

Peak is expected Oct. 25 in the southern tier.

Provided

/

Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau

“If you are going to the Poconos to see the foliage up there, it should be a pretty good season,” Martrich said. “And about on normal, average there, because they've had a lot more rain.”

The remnants of tropical storms over the summer often stayed north of the Valley, delivering more rain to the Slate Belt and the Poconos.

“The lion's share of the rain actually was north of us, ending up being in north central, northeast Pa.,” he said.

“So I think the further south you go, the worse conditions you're gonna see, and the better viewing conditions you'll see, is the further north you go.”

Reed, whose leaf-peeping prognostications are posted weekly on the state DCNR’s website starting the end of September, would rather have dry conditions over wet leading up to the season.

“If I'm a betting man, I'd say the season will come in a little earlier than what we're used to, say, in the last five years,” Reed said.

“I do think it'll be a little bit of a condensed season, but I don't think it's going to affect our vibrancy. I do think we'll have a vivid year.”