Autumn is in full swing here in Northeast Ohio.
Days are getting shorter and there's a crispness to the air, but something seems to be missing.
Where are the beautiful Fall colors?
Hiker Lauren Konn noticed something missing at Akron's Cascade Valley Metropark.
"It's not really turning. I don't know. It's kind of bizarre. It's been unusually hot then it got cold really quick and it just tripped the leaves out a little bit," she observed.
You are correct, Lauren. Trees are holding onto their green pigment. Reflections that should be gold are still green. The chlorophyll is still producing sugars the trees are storing up for Winter, but change is coming.
"As it gets cooler, the tree knows its time to shut down, the chlorophyll starts to break down and then you're able to see the yellows, reds and oranges that are there all the time but they're lying beneath the green," Janean Kazmir of Summit County Metroparks explains. "It's like the leaf is wearing a green jacket, he takes it off and has on a yellow t-shirt underneath."
The colors seem a bit muted this year, but it is early in the process. Right now, location matters.
"You may see some better color up north by the lake and by Cleveland," says Kazmir. "It's slowly going to make its way south to Akron and all of Summit County."
So at least for this season, a little patience is in order.
WATCH | Channel 3 Meteorologist Hollie Strano has more on the slow-turning leaves in Northeast Ohio from WKYC's Facebook Live