Despite Hurricane Helene and warmer weather stretching into October, Franklin and most of Macon County could experience a late but colorful leaf season.
Dr. Howard Neufeld, a biology professor at Appalachian State University known as the Fall Color Guy, said areas below 2,500 feet in far Western North Carolina and the foothills will likely see the most color of anyone in the Southern Appalachian Mountains.
The Coweeta and North Georgia areas will probably have the best color,” Neufeld said.
Typically, late October is peak leaf season for the Franklin area, at around 2,100 to 2,200 feet. The Highlands plateau, at 4,000 feet, usually peaks a week or two earlier.
These vibrant red, yellow and orange leaves cause the area’s busiest tourist season. But since Hurricane Helene in late September, nothing about this leaf season is typical.
First are the physical effects. Hurricane Helene and the flooding rainfall it brought in late September destroyed the foliage above 3,000 feet in areas between the greater Asheville area and Boone, Neufeld said. And then there are the logistical effects. With the Blue Ridge Parkway through North Carolina closed indefinitely and both I-40 and I-26 at the N.C./Tennessee border closed until next year, visitors have been advised to stay away from Asheville and Buncombe County as recovery efforts move forward.
With warmer weather lingering well into October, leaves have been shy about turning color in the most-spared areas of Macon, Jackson, Swain, Clay, Graham and Cherokee counties.
“From 2,500 feet and below, it’s still pretty green,” Neufeld said. “We’re still starting to see some color at those elevations.”
Leaf season got its first boost last week as cold air started to stimulate color. However, daytime temperatures are expected to remain in the 70s through the end of the month with overnight temperatures dipping into the 40s.
“If they’re looking green now, they still will go through color change,” Neufeld said.
The cold can bring a negative against what appears to be a promising leaf season. If the weather gets too cold and snows or ices over, as it did on the tallest peaks of the Great Smokies on Oct. 15 and 16, it can destroy a peak season.
“Sometimes with cold like that, they’ll quickly drop their leaves,” Neufeld said.