TORONTO - Canadians from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean are in for a "spectacular" show of colour this autumn.

Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips says the upcoming colour change season promises to be one of the best ever.

The vibrant technicolour display happens in Central and Eastern Canada, where glorious hues of orange, red, and yellow blaze their way across the skyline.

Out West, the leaves on trees change from green to yellow.

The weather has been "gorgeous" for most trees in Eastern and Central Canada, said Phillips.

"It's been warmer than normal, it's been near record warm in some areas," said Phillips.

"We came through a soft winter and spring, the warmest on record. Precipitation has been more than adequate, so trees aren't suffering."

The peak time for viewing will be in September and early October.

The forecast from Winnipeg to the Avalon Peninsula is for warmer than usual temperatures in September, which could delay the colour change season a bit.

Phillips said the backdrop for viewing the fall colours may be equally promising -- lots of days of blue skies with fluffy white clouds.

Across the country you can map the colour change season by the latitude. The farther north you go, the sooner the colour change season begins.

"They say that we have four seasons in this country. I think we really have five," said Phillips.

"I think that colour change season, or aboriginal summer, or Indian summer or whatever you want to call it is often a gift from the heavens."

That's because we know what's ahead -- winter.

His only complaints -- the colour change season doesn't last long enough and some years there isn't one.

Toronto, for example, was robbed back in 2005 and 2007, when the city experienced drought-like conditions. The soil dried out and leaves turned brown.

Phillips said the weather will have an effect on the hues and the vibrancy of the colours -- how purple the purples are and how red the reds are.

Autumn storms could shorten the season if strong winds blow the leaves off trees prematurely, he added.

The Muskoka region and central Ontario will be at their colour best by the end of September.

But residents in Toronto and southern Ontario will have to wait until Thanksgiving to see abundant fall colours, Phillips said.

Leaves can change their colours into November in southern Ontario, if there haven't been major storms with "howling" winds.

In Quebec, being further north, in the Laurentians, the ideal time to view the changing season is mid to late September.

"The way leaves change colour is really interesting," said retired University of Guelph professor Doug Larson.

"They don't actually turn red or yellow or orange. Rather the green disappears revealing all these other colours that are already in the leaves," said Larson, who is a tree expert.

Fall colours are already beginning to creep into a few treetops in Toronto.

Richard Ubbens, the City of Toronto's director of forestry, says it's normal for some trees to change early and this year is no different.

Ubbens and other experts say an early colour change can be caused by a variety of factors. They include a tree's genetic program, drought, soil conditions, pest infestation or damage to a tree's root system.

They say it doesn't mean it's time to put away the sandals and shorts.

The "summer of summers" isn't about to end just yet, said Phillips.