University Park, Pa. — Normally, a dry September in Pennsylvania means bright fall foliage, according to experts in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. But this latest dry spell — which followed persistent drought conditions across most of the state this summer — may be bad news for leaf-lovers.

September was extremely dry, by almost any standard. “Most every county is at least 2 inches below normal in precipitation for the month,” said Bryan Swistock, water resources specialist for Penn State Cooperative Extension. “It has been extraordinarily dry — so much so that some counties are likely to set records. In some places, they received just two-tenths of an inch of rain.”   read more