It is almost time to plan a trip to western North Carolina to check out the beautiful colors of fall! Autumn officially arrived on Thursday, and some fall color has already been reported around the highest elevations of the mountains including near Grandfather Mountain. Unfortunately, recent weather conditions could impact the fall color seen this year.
It was a dry summer for the western half of the state. Asheville is currently just over 6" behind normal for rainfall this year. As of this morning, only 0.05" of rain has fallen in Asheville this month. While some rain is forecast for the mountains this week, the long range outlook for western North Carolina is for warmer and drier than normal conditions through fall. The warmer than average temperatures may delay fall colors by at least a few days compared to normal. The dry conditions will likely mean the fall colors will not be as vibrant this year. In a recent fall outlook, the State Climate Office of North Carolina noted the dry weather could cause trees to drop their leaves early.
The news is not all bad for the upcoming month, as there will still be some fall color to see. October is typically the peak for fall foliage in western North Carolina. Researchers in the biology department at Appalachian State University estimate that fall color will be at its peak in early October for only the highest points in the mountains. Much of western North Carolina should be around its peak in the middle of the month. The peak color will then spread across the foothills into the Piedmont around late October into early November.
Fall color forecast map from Appalachian State University. Map conceived by Howard Neufeld and Michael Denslow. Map Constructed by Michael Denslow.
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