GREENSBORO, N.C. — Fall continues to roll along in North Carolina. In case you missed your chance to head up to the mountains, that peak fall color is heading to you instead. The WFMY News 2 Weather Team has been tracking the leaves as they change across the state and we have an update for you.
Mountains Going Past Peak
Based on the latest reports from locals and photos, many of the popular destinations in the North Carolina mountains are now "past peak" when it comes to fall color. This would include:
- Grandfather Mountain
- Mount Mitchell
- Boone
- Blowing Rock
- West Jefferson
- Others with elevations 3,000 feet or higher
Foothills Nearing Peak Color
Going a little down in elevation, we enter the North Carolina Foothills. Many of these areas are hitting what could be considered "peak color" right now. This means leaves are on the trees and they've turned the best colors that they will through the season.
This includes the popular Pilot Mountain State Park in Surry County, which locals say has very good color right now. The superintendent of Hanging Rock State Park says, "If you haven't driven up Park Rd. lately you need to. I've never seen the leaves prettier!"
This area includes:
- Pilot Mountain State Park
- Hanging Rock State Park
- Mount Airy
- Stone Mountain State Park
- Wilkes County
- Others
Triad Starting to See High Color
Here in the Triad, trees are starting to show high color. The cool air and cold nights we've seen recently have kicked the leaves into gear and they've started changing quickly. Before that, the color was very slow to emerge due to warmer than usual weather.
We can expect peak color to develop here in the Triad area over the next 7-10 days. Make sure to take advantage of it.