fall colors in the smokies

[cjseliga]

Originally Posted by High Altitude

Looks like it is going to turn late this year.

I guess I will be mowing my lawn a little bit longer this year, lol.

Blame it on Indian Summer!

[weisgarber1]

Originally Posted by cjseliga

Blame it on Indian Summer!

Actually, it really isn't Indian Summer since Indian Summer criteria hasn't been met here yet. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the criteria is:

As well as being warm, the atmosphere during Indian summer is hazy or smoky, there is no wind, the barometer is standing high, and the nights are clear and chilly.

A moving, cool, shallow polar air mass is converting into a deep, warm, stagnant anticyclone (high pressure) system, which has the effect of causing the haze and large swing in temperature between day and night.

The time of occurrence is important: The warm days must follow a spell of cold weather or a good hard frost.


Except for the cooler weather and rain from the remnants of Hurrcane Irma, it hasn't been cool at all. In addition there has been no real "spell" of cold weather or a hard frost, not to mention no real large swings in the diurnal temperature range. So, maybe later in the fall we will have an "Indian Summer."

[crltn19]

There's going to be two cold fronts pushing through the area this week. Might even see some snow in higher elevations of the mountains. So it seems the fall colors should peak toward the end of the month.

[hiknapster]

It's been very warm this season. Yes, we will get a cool front coming in, but the foliage is so far behind that there is no telling when the actual peak will be. In Knoxville, we don't really have anything, yet.

Here's a photo made today from the Look Rock webcam looking towards Mount LeConte.

[Thoreau424]

I did see a little red in places around Cades Cove this past Friday, but that's about it. Oddly enough, the drive on Foothills Parkway looked more colorful in the late afternoon compared to late morning. I'm not sure if it was the lighting and angle of the sun, or what, but several of us noticed the difference between the two times of the day.

[danielj72]

This cold weather moving in should accelerate the colors.

[hiknapster]

Weather cam from this morning.

[creeksitter]

I was in Cades cove thursday and the colors were spectacular.

[weisgarber1]

Originally Posted by danielj72

This cold weather moving in should accelerate the colors.

And it has. Locally, it looks to me like we are in the middle of the color peak. Yesterday, today and perhaps tomorrow. Given the rainfall we have had though, I am surprized that the colors aren't outstanding, though they are pretty good. But, opinions on that will vary.

[LauraC]

October 28 - Oak Ridge (both photos taken the same day at the same lake - it's just one side of the lake is sunnier than the other)





October 28 - Norris Dam State Park (cabin in the park - the Museum of Appalachia had almost no color that same day - the park is at a higher elevation than the museum)



November 1 - Melton Hill Dam Park in Lenoir City



I apologize for not sharpening them after I resized them to post on CD. Just wanted to give you an idea of the color. I would say it was a week behind schedule.