HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WTRF) — Those cooler temperatures at night mean the fall leaves will be crunching under our feet very soon.

So are we in for clear autumn afternoons or gloomy fall rainstorms?

It’s not clear just yet…but the Mountain State climatologist says dry days may be on tap for the new season.

How West Virginia’s leaves will change this fall

Summer has not been kind to the Mountain State.

Charleston saw its all-time rainiest summer this year, while Huntington had its second-rainiest July…only outdone by 2021.

But after flooding on top of flooding, things could be airing out for fall, with the National Weather Service’s prediction lower-than-average rainfall.

As of today we’re already halfway through September, so more than likely we’ve already sweated through our last heat wave.

And now we’re headed into the driest time of the entire year.

We just expect things to kind of quiet down more and more as we go through the end of September into October. I think we’re going to try to trend that way, provided the hurricane season stays on the quiet side.

Dr. Kevin Law, State Climatologist for West Virginia

Those hurricanes can have a big effect on our weather.

If you’re wondering why we haven’t heard about any big storms making landfall this year…so are meteorologists.

September 10th was the peak of hurricane season and only five storms have been named so far.

But if one comes along, look out, because all bets are off.

All it would take would be one, let’s say it hit the Carolina coast, move inland toward West Virginia, all of a sudden you’ve got a week perhaps of below normal temperatures due to the cloudiness and very wet conditions.

Dr. Kevin Law, State Climatologist for West Virginia

A stormier pattern usually returns for our area toward the end of November.

As for whether we’ll see a white Thanksgiving or white Halloween…that hasn’t been happening in recent years.

Dr. Law says Superstorm Sandy in 2012 was the last time some real fall snow was pushed our way.

It looks like that window of when you get that snowfall over the winter is more compressed…It’s well into December sometimes when we get any measurable snowfall.

Dr. Kevin Law, State Climatologist for West Virginia

Autumn will officially begin with the equinox on September 22nd.

So find time to go get a pumpkin or three and get ready for the red and orange wonderland to form all around us.