Fall colours in Ontario are slowly but surely starting to appear throughout the province despite the official start of autumn being a few weeks away. 

Although one final blast of summerlike weather is forecasted for the week ahead, chillier conditions will start to creep in just in time for the annual fall spectacle, and some parks are already witnessing the beginning of the vibrant season. 

The majority of the GTA is predominately green as of Sept. 3, but areas just a few hours outside of the city are already witnessing their leaves change colours, according to the Ontario Parks Fall Colour map. 

The interactive map allows you to analyze the status of leaf colour change in provincial parks around Ontario, with each leaf icon represented in shades of bright green, light green, yellow, orange, or deep red. 

Fall colours are slowly starting to appear across the province. Source: Ontario Parks Fall Colour map. 

At the time of publication, most parks on the map are either dark green or light green, with the latter indicating a 10 per cent leaf colour change. Considering that October is usually when fall colours reach their peak in Ontario, there are still a few weeks to go for some areas to develop more vibrant foliage. 

Some provincial parks that are seeing 10 per cent leaf colour change include Darlington, Earl Rowe, Mono Cliffs, Point Farms, Sauble Falls, and Murphys Point. 

A variety of factors can influence how slow or fast leaf colours will change, including precipitation, temperature, moisture, frost, and wind, so the weather conditions in the next few weeks will really determine how long the fall spectacle will last in Ontario this year. 

Still, the extreme and record-breaking rainfall that the province witnessed this summer could be causing some leaves to change colours earlier than expected. 

Although most leaves begin changing colours in mid-September, stressed trees may change their leaf colours even earlier, which could contribute to a shorter fall leaf display. 

However, a Weather Network report released on Sunday predicts warmer temperatures throughout most of the country in September, which will most likely be accompanied by near-normal or below-seasonal precipitation.  

Despite this, the weather channel warns that remnants of tropical storms and hurricanes could disrupt this precipitation forecast. 

If you're planning on visiting a provincial park in the next few weeks to witness the fall colours in all their glory, make sure to use the Ontario Parks tracker to determine which dates are best for your visit.