Meteorologists and biologists predict that this fall will not be among Ohio's most brilliant, but autumn spectators can still look forward to the leaves' traditional turning of colors.
It's just going to be less intense
said Department of Environmental and Plant Biology Professor Philip Cantino.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources began issuing weekly Fall Color updates Thursday for Ohio's 74 state parks, 20 state forests and 131 state nature preserves to help visitors take advantage of Ohio's autumn scenery.
The updates use four classifications, including changing near peak peak
and fading to report leaves' percentage of changing color, according to www.dnr.state.oh.us.
Ohio's status is changing
meaning that the leaves are still mostly changing with less than 25 percent color showing, according to the Web site. Ohio's viewing prospects can be accessed through the Web site or by calling 1-800-BUCKEYE.
Peak viewing times can also be explored using The Weather Channel's national Fall Foliage map, which features color-coded, regional maps of changing foliage.
The three factors meteorologists associate with beautiful fall colors are rainfall, temperature and sunlight.
The ideal conditions for brilliant fall colors are an alternation of bright
sunny days and cold nights
Cantino said
While the 85-degree days still hanging around Athens are not ideal for beautiful fall foliage, the lack of cold nights has been more detrimental to the leaves' colors, Cantino said.
Leaves turn brown and fall early under these conditions and, and also when they are stressed by lack of rainfall, which has been the case for Ohio as it continues to battle an extensive drought, Cantino said.
I have found that even in the worst conditions
there are always some trees that turn beautiful anyway
said Senior Meteorologist Mark Ressler from The Weather Channel.
Although the first day of autumn officially begins on September 21, the leaves turn color and fall from the trees based on the decreasing amount of daylight hours, said Ohio University Meteorologist Instructor Christopher Towe.
The peak season for Ohio's fall colors is not until mid-October, beginning in northern Ohio and gradually moving south, according to data from www.dnr.state.oh.us.
For the most colorful scenery, autumn spectators should look for places with maple trees, sumacs, black gum or even poison ivy, Cantino said, adding that Dow Lake off of state Route 50 is also pretty in the fall from both trail ends, especially from the west side.
17
