JOHNSON CITY – Hillsides throughout the Appalachian Highlands are starting to show brushes of yellow and orange, a sure signal that autumn has arrived.
East Tennessee State University’s Travis Watson, the campus arborist, said sunny days
and cool nights have generated near perfect conditions for speculator fall foliage.
As far as leaf peepers are concerned, the area dodged disaster with recent storms.
"The heavy wind and rain for parts of the region last weekend certainly brought down some leaves, but it looks like we still have a fairly full canopy,” he said.
Fall color has appeared in the mountains of East Tennessee, Western North Carolina
and Southwest Virginia. Watson said next week will likely be the peak for the highest
elevations.
For the lowest elevations, the vibrant hues should really be popping by mid-to-late
October.
The effects of current tropical activity do pose a risk to fall color.
Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast earlier this week, and the National
Weather Service projected considerable rain for the region this weekend.
“High winds and heavy rain could cause significant leaf drop, but the continued cool
nights and sunny days should help create a vibrant display of color,” Watson said.
ETSU offers a weekly fall color prediction every Thursday until the season ends. Find
it on ETSU’s social media channels, as well as ETSU News.