How to track progress on Pa.’s fall foliage

Want to know when Pennsylvania's rolling hills will have picturesque fall colors? There's a map for that.

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has started publishing its fall foliage report for the 2018 season on Thursday, showing that the Philadelphia region still looks largely the same, but leaves on trees in counties to the north — like Luzerne and Monroe — are beginning to change.

Throughout the fall season, the weekly reports are updated every Thursday and will document the leaves' changes in six steps: no change, starting to change, approaching best color, best color, starting to fade, and past peak.

The department's map isn't the only one you can keep bookmarked. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which stretches across North Carolina and Tennessee, also has an interactive "fall foliage prediction map" that shows what to expect across the nation. That map indicates Philadelphians could expect to see some change as soon as next week. Though, the maps notes that "no tool can be 100% accurate."

The Pocono Mountains Visitor Bureau also publishes a weekly report, while the DCNR has a map of what it considers to be "prime" locations to gaze at the changing colors once they do come through.

"The deep-green of Pennsylvania's foliage is largely unchanged throughout the state," the department's first report said. "However, foresters have noted some localized areas of early leaf drop on maple, cherry, and oak species due to the excessively wet summer and related outbreaks of fungi."

Planning out all your fall weekends? Check out the Inquirer and Daily News' Fall Arts Guide, which includes information on everything from upcoming concerts and parades to museum events and festivals.