STATE COLLEGE - It's officially fall, and according to the National Weather Service in State College, the next 30 days are going to be warmer and drier than usual for autumn.
"This time of year, we tend to be on the dry side anyway, but it's a little on the abnormal side," meteorologist John LaCorte said Wednesday, the first day of autumn.
LaCorte said we're not in a drought, but we could use some rain.
The tendency toward the warmer side will continue into winter, he added.
He said it'll still be cold, but compared to the bitter temperatures over the past two winters - last winter was one of the snowiest and, at times, coldest on record, according to The Weather Channel - the trend will have higher temps.
Pinning down a prediction in Northumberland County however, can be a challenge.
"You're right on the line where there's a tendency to be wetter than normal. It could be a half a degree or 10 degrees," LaCorte said.
One thing is for sure, however: Fall is here and winter is on its way.
"The days are just going to get shorter and shorter," LaCorte said.
The weather for the next few days is expected to be cool and clear with high temperatures in the 70s and lows in the 50s.
Changing colors
For leaf peepers, foliage this year is expected to be colorful and beautiful, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).
Some trees have dropped their leaves early because a rainy early summer and a hot and dry late summer stressed the trees. This reaction is localized, however, and "across the broad vistas of Penn's Woods, we should still see panoramas of beautiful fall colors," according to the DCNR website. Temperatures and precipitation were "ideal" these past couple of weeks, the website noted.
Fall foliage colors will reach their peak locally from Oct. 17 to 24. It's at about 5 percent this week.
Go to the weekly fall foliage report at www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/fallfoliage for more information.
