(WHM)-- Autumn is right around the corner as students across Pennsylvania start returning to the classroom, and the temperature cools down, but when are Pennsylvanians going to see those beautiful fall colors?
Not many states rival Pennsylvania's fall beauty. The state's 16.6 million acres of forest will soon shift from bright green to deep autumn red. This time of the year attracts tourists from across the Northeast and beyond, but when will it officially start?
Pennsylvania will remain green heading into September, but parts of the state will see colors change sooner than they may expect.
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According to Explore Fall's 2026 Fall Foliage Map, which gathers information from recent foliage reports across the country, colors are estimated to begin changing in the north, specifically the Scranton area, at the end of September.
The map shows that foliage will begin turning yellow across Pennsylvania in early October, with most of the state reaching peak fall colors in late October and early November. Those planning a trip should aim for that time of year and maybe stop at a corn maze along the way.
According to the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, Leaves have color because of chemicals called pigments. Leaves are green in the summer because that's when they make a lot of chlorophyll because of sunlight.
As trees get less sunlight, they stop making chlorophyll and begin changing color, per the NESDIS.
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