With fall nearly halfway through, the vibrant hues of fall have come and gone in much of the United States, leaving foliage in midwestern and southern parts of the country left to change.
During the fall and winter, trees shut down and store a chemical called chlorophyll, which allows plants to turn sunlight into glucose for energy and also gives leaves their green color, according to travel website Smokymountains.com.
When chlorophyll is stored during the fall and winter, what’s left are the reds, oranges, and purples of fall that leaves get from compounds called carotenoids and anthocyanins, the travel website noted.
Throughout the fall season, Smokymountains.com has provided those wanting to see this change in the leaves with a map predicting what U.S. foliage will look like during the fall season.
The map’s creators said no tool is 100% accurate, but the map can help travelers figure out when and where they can see peak fall colors.
Here’s what leaf-peepers can expect this weekend leading up to Nov. 11.
Peak fall foliage in Kansas, southern U.S.
According to the Farmer’s Almanac, which covers weather forecasts, gardening and other topics, leaves can change their color from mid-September through early November.
Peak times are the second and third weeks of October. It depends largely on where you live and local weather conditions, the website reported.
As of early November, foliage in the U.S. is past the peak stage, according to the map on Smokymountains.com.
However, there may still be time to see peak fall colors in areas such as southern and eastern Kansas, southern California, southern Arizona, southern parts of New Mexico, northwestern Texas, northern Oklahoma, most of Arkansas, western Tennessee, northern Mississippi, northern Alabama, southern Georgia, southern and eastern South Carolina, and eastern North Carolina.
Parts of the U.S. with foliage nearing its peak are parts of southern New Mexico, most of Texas, most of Oklahoma, southwestern Arkansas, most of Louisiana, the southern half of Mississippi, southern Alabama, southern Georgia, and northern Florida, per the map.
There’s also a very small portion of the U.S. with patches of partial fall foliage, including southern Texas, southern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, and most of Florida.
To find out what fall foliage will look like in your area this weekend and next week, visit www.smokymountains.com/fall-foliage-map.
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at [email protected].
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