GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Fall is here, but you can't really tell by looking at most of the leaves.

No two autumns are exactly the same, since how and when the leaves change are different every year.

Current conditions are a great example of what can impact the leaves changing, sunny days and cool nights.

You can't mark your calendar for the peak of Fall colors. Molly Schroer with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park said, "It's all up to mother nature."

The weather can impact the changing of the leaves, long before the season starts. A late summer drought can cause the leaves to fall, before the colorful show ever begins.

While East Tennessee had a hot, dry summer, the past couple of months brought in less heat and more rain. In terms of rainfall in the mountains, Schroer said, "We're kind of at the normal level to a little bit above, so it seems like it could be a pretty normal year."

Park Rangers are taking weekly tours to check on the status of the colors. Schroer said, "The higher elevations are starting to develop color. Along Newfound Gap Road, from Alum Cave up, you're starting to see a little more yellows coming out."

There is also some extra color driving the road to Clingman's Dome, at more than 6-thousand feet.

Ann and John Smith, from Texas, were at the busy visitor's center Wednesday. They had been driving around the National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee, and Ann said, "It's all beautiful." John added, "Very beautiful, we hadn't seen too many reds and yellows yet, but we realize we're a little early."

They said they'll plan their next trip for later in the season to see more color, since Park Rangers say it changes weekly.

Right now, we're on track for a beautiful view, but if we get freezing temperatures, a hard frost, and/or heavy rain, it could bring down the leaves before they change.

Schroer said, "Generally from the beginning of October, through October and into November, somewhere in the park there is going to be somewhere you can see leaves. There is color somewhere."

Rangers are updating the park website weekly to let visitors know where the leaves are changing. CLICK HERE for the park homepage.