Best dates and times to see the fall leaves
THE AREA. THESE STORIES AND
MORE IN ABOUT 15 MINUTES LATER.
ALL RIGHT. THANKS SO MUCH,
DEBORAH. IT IS FALL AND THAT
MEANS WE'RE READY FOR SOME
GORGEOUS SCENES ALL ACROSS
NORTH CAROLINA. AND THAT MEANS
FOR YOU LEAF PEEPERS. YOUR TIME
IS COMING. BUT YOU MIGHT BE
WONDERING WHEN EXACTLY THIS
FALL COLORS WILL BE THE MOST
VIBRANT. FOR THAT. WE TURN TO
DOCTOR ROBERT BARTON. HE IS
WITH NC STATE'S COLLEGE FOR
NATURAL RESOURCES. THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR JOINING US. DOCTOR.
SO WONDERING HERE, WHEN SHOULD
PEOPLE EXPECT THE PEAK FOLIAGE
IN OUR STATE?
>> SO IN OUR STATE PEAK OCCURS
AT A COUPLE DIFFERENT TIMES,
DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU'RE AT IN
THE STATE, IN THE MOUNTAINS.
YOU CAN EXPECT THAT AROUND
MID-OCTOBER. AND AS YOU MOVE
TOWARDS THE COAST, WE HAVE AN
EXPECTED TOWARDS THE LATTER
PART OF OCTOBER.
>> YOU KNOW, NORTH CAROLINA
AND PARTICULARLY THE TRIANGLE
HAS SUCH GORGEOUS TREES.
SO HONESTLY, YOU COULD JUST
WALK DOWN THE STREET AND SEE
A BEAUTIFUL SCENE. BUT TELL US
MAYBE YOUR BEST PLACE IS TO
TAKE IN THE SITES IN OUR STATE.
>> I MEAN, YOU REALLY ARE
RIGHT. AND YOU CAN GO ALMOST
ANYWHERE IN OUR STATE AND SEE
FALL REALLY WHAT YOU'RE DOING
IS LOOKING FOR AREAS THAT ARE
FULL OF HARDWOOD TREES BECAUSE
THAT'S WHAT GIVES US THE COLORS
THAT WE SEE I LIKE TO GO TO IN
PLACES LIKE OUR STATE OUR STATE
FOREST SERVICE AGENCY ALSO HAS
SEVERAL STATE FORCE THAT OFTEN
ARE GREAT PLACES TO GO VISIT
TO SEE FALL COLORS.
>> AND I WONDER, YOU KNOW, WITH
ALL THE JUST SAW THE VIDEO
RIGHT THERE IN THE LEFT BOXER,
I'M WONDERING, WHERE'S THE BEST
PLACE TO PEOPLE? MAYBE YOU
DON'T HAVE TIME TO ACTUALLY
GO OUT AND SEE THESE FOR
YOURSELF IN PERSON ANYWHERE ON
MINE THAT PEOPLE CAN GO TO SEE
THE BEAUTIFUL COLORS.
>> THERE ARE PROBABLY PLACES
ONLINE AND PROBABLY A SIMPLE AN
EASY THING TO GOOGLE LOOKING
FOR YOU KNOW, CAMERAS THAT WEB
CAMS THAT WILL SHOW VIDEOS AND
STUFF OF ONLINE COLORS OR
REALLY EVEN IF YOU JUST LOOK
AROUND YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD,
YOU'LL SEE SOME GREAT COLORS.
SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO FAR
TO SEE HIM.
>> WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A
PRETTY CHILLY WEEKEND. IT IS
UNCHARACTERISTICALLY SO IN
NORTH CAROLINA FOR IT TO BE IN
THE 70'S AND EVEN 60'S SO
EARLY. SO ARE YOU THINKING THAT
WE MAY PEEK A LITTLE BIT
EARLIER? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING
ABOUT THAT?
>> I DON'T THINK WILL PEAK
EARLY. I THINK WE'RE SET UP FOR
GOOD FALL COLOR I THINK THE
CURRENT TEMPERATURES WE'RE
HAVING IN EVERYTHING WE'RE
GOING TO GET THROUGH THOSE HERE
PRETTY QUICK AND THEN GET BACK
TO MORE NORMAL WEATHER
PATTERNS.
>> ALL RIGHT, DOCTOR ROBERT
BARTON WITH NC STATE. HE IS
AGAIN, THE ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR
EXTENSION AND PROFESSOR OF THE
COLLEGE FOR NATURAL RESOURCES.
THANKS FOR JOINING US.
>> THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT.
LET'S GET TO METEOROLOGIST MIKE
MAZE IN THE WRAL, SEVERE
WEATHER CENTER. HE SAID IT
WELL, WE'RE GOING TO GET RIGHT
BACK UP TO THOSE 80 DEGREE
TEMPERATURES NEXT WEEK. YEAH,
WE'RE EXPECTING THAT ABOVE
NORMAL TEMPERATURES. BUT THAT
ALREADY SOME COLOR SHOWING UP
IN THE MOUNTAINS. I WANT TO
POINT THIS OUT. BEFORE WE TALK
MORE ABOUT THE FORECAST, THIS
IS UPDATED YESTERDAY. A LITTLE
BIT OF COLOR SHOWING UP WITH
BLOWING ROCK GRANDFATHER
MOUNTAIN MOUNT MITCHELL.
THIS TIME OF YEAR. YOU'RE GOING
TO GO TO THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS
AND SEE IT BEECH MOUNTAIN.
THERE'S LIKELY COLOR. I WAS
THERE BEECH MOUNTAIN A COUPLE
YEARS AGO FOR MY BIRTHDAY
AROUND SEPTEMBER. 26. THAT WAS
YESTERDAY. OF COURSE, AND OF
I SAW SOME COLOR ON THE OUT AT
THAT POINT. SO HERE'S A PEAK
COLOR FORECAST. WE SEE THE
PURPLE SHOWING UP. THAT'S FROM
OCTOBER, 7TH THROUGH THE 12TH.
SO UP TOWARD THE BOONE AREA
THAT WE BE GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN
BEECH MOUNTAIN AND FARTHER
NORTH, PERHAPS UP TO HELP AND
SIDE AND THEN THE RED AREAS,
OCTOBER 13TH THROUGH THE 18TH,
THE ORANGES, THE 19 THROUGH
THE 24TH, THE LIGHTER ORANGE
COLOR, THE 25TH THROUGH THE
30TH. AND THEN AFTER NOVEMBER
15, UPI, THE LOWER ELEVATIONS,
MARION RATHER FOR 10 AND ALSO
THE LENOIR AREAS. IF YOU WANT
TO LOOK FOR SOME COLOR, I
SUGGEST THE SECOND WEEK IN
OCTOBER, ESPECIALLY THE HIGHER
ELEVATIONS ALL BE THERE NEXT
WEEK UP IN THE MOUNTAINS FOR
ABOUT A WEEK. AND I'LL BE