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Before you miss it, peak viewing for autumn colors in the mountains is happening right now and in about two weeks, leaves should turn to gorgeous shades of orange, yellow and red throughout the Puget Sound area.

“If you are looking to see some of the most spectacular leaves, which are found at higher elevations, hike in the Cascades or the Olympics,” , a feature writer with news outlet , told ³ÉÈËXÕ¾ Newsradio. “And you might want to get out there today, this afternoon, or tomorrow because of rain and winds that are coming next week could blow the leaves off.”

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And if you can’t trek it out to the Cascades or the Olympics, Clarridge recommended any of Seattle’s parks.

“You can’t beat Seattle’s parks. Almost any of them will have pretty good shows. Green Lake is great. Discovery Park is really good. Those are just a couple and any hike you take will be pretty good,” Clarridge added.

Dates of the changing of the leaves

Clarridge also said King County’s changing of the leaves is happening a bit earlier than the rest of Western Washington.

“Our peak is supposed to be October 2, and the rest of Western Washington is October 9, where we’re later than much of the country though,” Clarridge said. “So in the north and the New England area, they’re already in the peak of their season.”

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Scientists stated the New England area has received more rain, a key reason for predicting when the leaves finally change. Washington hasn’t had much rain and that is one of the reasons why the state’s fall colors are delayed.

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