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The News Observer
Leaves will soon change in NC’s foothills and mountains. How to see the best fall color
By Martha Quillin,
11 hours ago
The recent respite from summer’s heat and humidity has put some of you in an autumnal mood, pondering pumpkins, cool mornings and long sleeves.
As Recreation.gov proclaimed with a flurry of press releases on Thursday, “It’s almost fall, y’all.”
Fall color forecasters are in an apple-cider state of mind, too. They’ve begun offering predictions on how good a leaf-peeping season North Carolina will have this year and when the colors will peak at different elevations.
The timing and intensity of autumn color depend on temperature, rainfall and food supply from spring through fall, according to the U.S. Forest Service , as well as other factors such as tree genetics.
Weather events in August and September also can affect October displays. But here is some early advice, in time to make travel plans to catch the richest shades of red, orange and yellow.
Will North Carolina have good fall color this year?
According to the Forest Service and N.C. State University’s College of Natural Resource, the most brilliant autumn colors follow a warm, wet spring, a moderate summer and warm, sunny fall days with cool (but not freezing) nights . If it’s too dry during the growing season, the leaves may turn early. If fall is too warm, the colors may be dimmed.
As of Thursday, the U.S. Drought Monitor’s map showed no drought in North Carolina, though some western counties are abnormally dry.
The next month likely will bring at least a couple more spells of hot weather, according to forecasts from the National Weather Service and the Farmers Almanac .
While conditions have not lined up for the perfect season of intense, long-lasting jewel tones, color should be good enough to justify a ride through the country sometime in mid-to-late October.
Dr. Howard Nuefeld , the Appalachian State University professor known as The Fall Color Guy, has said current forecasts bode well for a good fall color season.
“What we want to see is temperatures beginning to drop in mid-September through mid-October. If they do, fall colors will be on time. If it is mostly sunny with little rain over this interval, it is likely that the colors will be more vibrant.”
Leaf-season forecasters say 2024 looks like a good year for fall color in North Carolina. Robert Lahser/rlahser@charlotteobserver.com
When will fall color peak in North Carolina?
The first bits of color typically appear at the highest elevations in the western part of the state the last week of September or the first week of October . From there, the shift moves down the mountains to the foothills, the Piedmont and across the coastal plain over the following one to three weeks.
In an average year, the color in the mountains peaks the second or third week of October. By mid-November, the show is pretty much over.
The mountains are used as the standard for several reasons: they are covered in a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees, so there is a variety of color; there are wide swaths of wilderness area and undeveloped, forested land; and driving to higher elevations along routes such as the Blue Ridge Parkway offers sweeping views of nature’s colorful display.
A view from Cataloochee Overlook in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Bryson City offers a glimpse of fall color as the leaves change. K. Plaas/National Park Service
Where are the best places to see fall color in North Carolina?
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