Get ready to see some fall foliage in full force.
While it hasn't been feeling very autumnal in the Chicago area with the particularly warm temperatures, fall is starting to shape up — just take a peek outside.
For the past couple of weeks, foliage has been blushing with warm-toned pockets of color. Now, it looks like they're bursting with it.
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The Smoky Mountains' 2022 Fall Foliage Map indicates that Chicago's fall foliage will hit its peak Monday, which means the leaves will be at their best glows. Crisp hues of crimson can be spotted on trees and shrubbery, along with strokes of amber.
But the leaves won't pipe with color for long. The autumnal pigments will start to fade in just a week, waning out by the time Halloween rolls around.
So, leaf-peepers, take a moment to stop and savor the sights before the leaves crinkle and drop.
As for the rest of the state, the colors are expected to change a bit later. According to the map, much of Illinois isn't predicted to see foliage near their peak until the vibrant hues are on their way out of the Chicago area.
By Halloween, the leaves will have already changed in the northern park of the state, while the southern will still look golden.
Though the science of predicting fall leaf color changes is inexact, there are several factors that could lead to a later-than-usual fall peak in the state. That includes a drier-than-normal stretch of weather, as well as a warmer-than-normal start to fall, which was predicted by the National Weather Service.
According to the Enjoy Illinois, some of the best locations in the state to see the fall foliage include Starved Rock State Park, Forest Preserves of Winnebago County and Millennium Park in Chicago.
Farmer's Almanac named Pere Marquette State Park in west central Illinois as the eighth best place in the U.S. to check out fall foliage.
As a self-described "nature-lover's paradise," the park will offer sights of the turning leaves against a backdrop of wooded ravines and roadways alongside the Illinois River. Explorers also can take advantage of the land's towering bluffs, which will provide a panoramic view of the lush scenery that engulfs the park's 12-mile trail.
