Ask the Meteorologist: What's behind the fall color change?
AT WRAL COM FOR MORE
INFORMATION ON BOTH OF THESE
NEW LAWS. IT'S UP TO OBAMA IN
NORTH CAROLINA AND THAT MEANS
LEAVES WILL BE CHANGING.
METEOROLOGIST CHRIS MICHAELS
LOOKS INTO THE 3 KEY FACTORS
DRIVING FULLY ADJUST WITH THE
SHOULD EXPECT BECAUSE, CHRIS,
YET ALMOST THAT I'M A LITTLE
BIT OF A STARTING TO LOOK AT TO
WHEN WE SHOULD SEE THAT IN THE
MOUNTAINS. AND IT ALL HAS TO DO
WITH THAT BIG WORD. WE LEARNED
IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
PHOTOSYNTHESIS. IT'S THAT WHOLE
TRANSFER OF ENERGY.
>> BETWEEN THE SUN AND PLANTS.
AND SO AS WE LOOSEN LIGHT AND
THE AMOUNT OF RAIN DECREASES,
YOU START TO GET LESS GREEN
COLOR AND MORE OF THOSE SHADES
OF YELLOW, ORANGE AND RED.
IT'S PART OF ME IN OCTOBER.
WE WAS AN AVERAGE OF 2 MINUTES,
13 SECONDS PER DAY OF DAYLIGHT.
SO THAT'S WHAT HELPS TO
ACCELERATE THE LEAF CHANGE.
THERE'S ALSO THE DIFFERENCE IN
ELEVATION THAT WE'VE GOT FROM
WEST TO EAST, ACCORDING TO THE
FOLKS AT EXPLORE FALL COLDER
AND DRIER WEATHER MEANS AN
EARLIER CHANGE WEARS WARMER,
WETTER WEATHER MEANS QUITE THE
OPPOSITE. AND SO THAT'S WHY
IN SEPTEMBER WE WERE STARTING
TO NOTICE EVEN HEAR SOME LEAVES
CHANGING. THEN WE WARMED UP
AND WE TURNED A LITTLE WET THIS
PAST WEEK. SO ON AVERAGE HERE
AT HOME, THE LEAVES REALLY PEAK
IN EARLY NOVEMBER. BUT IF
YOU'RE PLANNING A TRIP TO THE
MOUNTAINS OVER THE COURSE OF
THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS NOW IS
THE TIME TO HEAD UP THERE.
WE'RE LOOKING AT THE GOVERNMENT
SHUT DOWN WHAT THAT MEANS FOR
SOME OF THE NATIONAL PARKS IN
OUR STATE. WE'RE DETAILING THAT
RIGHT NOW ON WRAL DOT COM.
JUST SEARCH. ASK THE
METEOROLOGIST, CHRIS. I'M