![]() ![]() ![]() Most people probably won’t even notice it.” “If there is a delay, it will only be by a few days. “It’s going to be a bit warmer in the southern Appalachians this year, but we’re probably not going to see much of a delay in fall colors,” Bardon said. The Climate Prediction Center’s outlook shows that the Southeast could experience above-average temperatures through November. Warmer temperatures can cause leaves to remain green longer, delaying the onset of fall colors. ![]() Meanwhile, the increasing concentration of sugar produces a third pigment, anthocyanin, which creates hues of red and purple. Sunny, but not hot, days and cooler nights provide the optimal conditions for fall foliage, with the lower temperatures slowing the production of chlorophyll - the pigment that gives plants their green color - and sunlight increasing sugar production.Īs chlorophyll declines, carotenoid (orange) and xanthophyll (yellow) pigments emerge from within the leaves. However, Bardon warned that it’s difficult to predict the exact timing of the process because it depends on how the weather unfolds throughout the fall season. Leaves can begin changing as early as late September, with colors peaking as early as mid-October. “I think we’ll see leaves peak at about the same time as they have in recent years,” said Bob Bardon, a professor of forestry and environmental resources and the associate dean of extension at the College of Natural Resources. North Carolinians can expect to see the usual hues of orange, yellow, red and purple on trees as they visit leaf-peeping destinations across the state this fall, according to one NC State forestry expert. ![]()
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