The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Staff, Wire Reports
Posted: Sunday, January 21, 2018 03:56 PM
Fall Foliage Expected To Peak Early This Year Across The Smokeys
Temperatures are
cooling, daylight is rising later and setting sooner, and Vol football
is underway. The signs are all here: Autumn is here.
Many consider Sept. 1 the meteorological start to fall, however the
season doesn't officially begin until the Fall Equinox on September 22.
We asked people on Facebook if they were ready and excited for the
arrival of autumn. We might as well have asked you if puppies were
adorable, or if you thought if breathing was necessary to continue
living, because the results were a resounding "yes."
For many, the most anticipated part of the season doesn't come in the
form of pigskin on the field or pumpkin spice in... well, everything
conceivable now. It comes in the form of colors.
Last year's fall colors were impressive, but not quite the quality East
Tennessee had come to expect. The reason was because the summer had been
much warmer than usual on top of a long sustained period without rain,
leading to moderate to severe drought conditions that caused trees to go
dormant and leaves to fade to brown quickly.
That is definitely not the case this year, though. A relative abundance
of rain on top of a mild summer with plenty of sunny days is setting up
the perfect conditions for vibrant fall colors across the mountains.
This interactive fall colors map can be found on smokymountains.com.
Fall foliage peak is predicted to arrive around Oct. 8. (Courtesy:
www.smokymountains.com)
Most of East Tennessee is expected to see peak fall colors shortly after
the start of October. This is actually earlier than normal because of
the cool temperatures we've been enjoying the last few weeks. Foliage
experts we spoke to believe the higher elevations of the Smokies will
peak by mid-October and the lower elevations will peak by mid to late
October.
People visiting the Smokies are already starting to see the leaves
change colors ahead of October.
"Some of the leaves have started to change so you're getting a nice
mixture of green with the orange and yellow," said Caleb Steindel,
visiting from Pennsylvania.
The only snag in having perfect fall colors yet to be seen is how the
weather holds out in October. As we approach the month, we'll want to
see mostly sunny weather with increasingly cooler temperatures for
perfection. A little rain here and there will also be welcome, so long
as it doesn't over saturate the ground.
Elyse Hagner, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said
October is typically a dry month in East Tennessee, and we may be in for
even more dry conditions as fall continues.
"We had a period there were it seemed like every other day it was
raining," Hagner said. "For the month of October, we're looking at a 33
percent chance of below normal rainfall. So basically, it will be dry."
The leaf season will still be vibrant this year, but the lack of rain
could impact the length of the peak season.
