Beautiful foliage appears across the country as fall takes shape | USA TODAY

Colors of autumn are appearing across the Northern Hemisphere as the fall season begins to take shape.

RELATED: Autumn vacation ideas: Five fall foliage train trips

In much of the U.S., drought conditions are forecast to persist throughout the fall months. Dry, hot weather can cause leaves to turn brown and wither before they can reach peak color. Heat waves also are prompting leaves to fall before autumn even arrives.

This year, lackluster colors may be in store for leaf peepers – people who travel to watch nature display its fall colors. It's an annual tradition in many corners of the country, especially in New England and across much of the eastern U.S.

But recent seasons have been disrupted by weather conditions in those regions and elsewhere, and the trend is likely to continue as the planet warms because of climate change, according to arborists, conservationists and ecologists.

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