There’s been a change in seasons, and it’s not what you think: Slippery rail season has begun. 

This is a time when a lot of leaves and a little weather could make your train slide right past your station. 

It coincides with the falling leaves of autumn and runs from September into December for some communities.

New York's MTA says that leaves crushed by trains can leave a slick, slimy film called pectin on the rails. This causes reduced traction, which leads to slipping wheels when accelerating or braking.

This slipping or sliding can cause wheels to flatten out. When this happens, trains have to be taken out of service for repairs.

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The combination of wet fall mornings from dew or rain plus windy conditions that drop more leaves onto the rails can push train operators to slow down trains so that they don't miss your station. These are the conditions when the most pectin is deposited on train tracks.

Train operators, including MTA, clean the rails overnight and more often when needed. Sand is also used by MTA to improve traction. An adhesive gel is applied to the rails in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Jonathan Belles has been a digital meteorologist for weather.com for 10 years. His favorite weather is tropical weather, but also enjoys covering high-impact weather and news stories and winter storms. He's a two-time graduate of Florida State University and a proud graduate of St. Petersburg College.