- The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources on Thursday released the season's fifth fall foliage report
- Lehigh and Northampton counties are forecast to be the “best color” through next week
- Temperatures are expected to reach near-record-highs on Saturday
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — As Pennsylvania’s fall foliage season comes to a close, peak colors have finally made it to the Lehigh Valley.
“Although the statewide peak has passed, spectacular color still adorns Penn’s Woods,” according to a post on the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Facebook page. “Northern oak forests have just begun to peak, offering late season sights in areas where the northern hardwoods are declining.”
State officials on Thursday released the commonwealth’s fifth fall foliage report, an annual effort that maps the state’s six-week leaf-peeping season. Lehigh and Northampton counties officially entered “Best Color,” meaning the fall foliage is at its peak.
The best color can now be found in the southeastern third of the Keystone State from the middle and southern Appalachians to the Coastal Plain.Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
“The best color can now be found in the southeastern third of the Keystone State from the middle and southern Appalachians to the Coastal Plain,” officials said.
The weekly report, which runs from Thursday through Wednesday, shows Pennsylvania’s northern and westernmost counties are “starting to fade” or “past peak.” Only a handful of counties, including Lancaster, Chester, Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware and Philadelphia, are classified as “approaching best color.”
‘A very colorful autumn display’
The Valley’s peak foliage week this year falls in line with historical trends, peaking in mid-to-late October, with trees popping brilliant yellows, oranges and reds across the landscape.
There was some concern over foliage colors and timing this year due to dry stretches and periods of rain. A drought watch that has been in effect for Lehigh County since July has been lifted by the state Department of Environmental Protection, but Northampton County remains on drought watch.
"After a long spring drought, timely summer rainfall and moderate temperatures helped to green the canopy of Penn’s Woods, setting the stage for a very colorful autumn display," officials said earlier this month. "Fall temperatures seemed to arrive earlier than in recent years, compelling noticeable changes throughout commonwealth forests."
The colors have popped brilliantly. This weekend could bring an extra opportunity for outside activities, as unseasonably warm temperatures are expected on Saturday.
The Valley could see near-record-high temperatures, forecasters said.
A fall foliage tour
LehighValleyNews.com has created a fall foliage tour across the region using reader suggestions.
Spanning from Jacobsburg State Park’s Sobers Run Trail Head in the Nazareth area to the Lehigh Gap Nature Center in Slatington and Bake Oven Knob near Germansville, the tour was about 120 miles and took almost five hours of diving to complete.
