Peak Foliage Season Arrives In Western Pennsylvania

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Tree gazers rejoice, it's that time of the year again when nature is putting the finishing touches on a portrait of color that rivals the best of artwork ever made.

From Oct. 10-24 the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources (DCNR) forecasts the most vibrant fall foliage colors for western Pennsylvania.

According to the DCNR, Pennsylvania's fall foliage season is longer and more vibrant than anywhere else in the world due to location and the large differences in elevation across the state.

More than 130 species of trees along with shrubs turn different shades of red, orange, brown and yellow every year locally. This is something unique to deciduous forests.

For this week, the Laurel Highlands has about 35 percent of leaves in the color change stage. That's the largest percent in the state. It's followed by a stretch of northern and northeast Pennsylvania where about 20-30 percent of leaves have reached peak color.

Locally, around 20 percent of leaves have reached peak color with the number surpassing 40 percent by this weekend.

For more on the fall foliage forecast you can go to the Pennsylvania DCNR webpage here.

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