Fall Color Guide 2024: When Leaves Will Peak In VA

VIRGINIA — The peak season for fall leaf-peeping is still more than a month away in Virginia, giving you time to plan a road trip to see fall foliage at its peak.

Several online tools and predictive maps are available to guide planning, whether you plan to stay home or travel outside Virginia. Leaves can start to change color as early as mid-September in northern-tier states, while the peak in some southern states is closer to November, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

The almanac's predictive map shows peak leaf color arrives the third week of October for Northern Virginia, with the foliage color extending into the third and fourth weeks for the rest of the state. Leaves will be past their peak a week or so after each peak.

AccuWeather said the best areas to see vivid fall foliage this year will be outside the traditionally popular tourist destinations. Leaves will be at their most vibrant around mid-October, according to that forecast. It also suggests this year’s fall foliage show will be vibrant.

A predictive map from ExploreFall.com says leaves will reach high color about Oct. 30, and peak color around Nov. 6 for Northern Virginia, with the foliage color extending into the second and third weeks of November southern and coastal areas of the state.

Another predictive map, from SmokyMountains.com, puts the leaf-peeping season peak at around Oct. 21 in Northern Virginia and the mountains, and Oct. 28 for the rest of the Commonwealth.

No predictive tool is 100 percent accurate, but it can give leaf tourists a pretty good shot at seeing autumn leaves when they turn their most blazing reds, vibrant orange and sunny yellows.

Weather can have a big effect. Leaves need warm, sunny days, but also crisp but not freezing nights to bring about the most spectacular color show. Both rainfall and drought can also affect its vibrancy, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center fall temperature and precipitation forecast, we are likely to see leaning above temperatures over the next three months. Precipitation is expected to be equal chances for above or below the average temperatures for the state.

What Causes The Different Colors?

You probably remember from science class that the color change all starts with photosynthesis. Leaves constantly churn out chlorophyll — a key component in a plant’s ability to turn sunlight into the glucose it needs to thrive — from spring through early fall. Those cells saturate the leaves, making them appear green to the human eye.

But leaves aren’t green at all. Autumn is the time for leaves’ big reveal: their true color, unveiled as chlorophyll production grinds to a halt. The colors in fall’s breathtaking tapestry are influenced by other compounds, according to the national park’s website.

Beta-carotene, the same pigment that makes carrots orange, reflects the yellow and red light from the sun and gives leaves an orange hue.

The production of anthocyanin, which gives leaves their vivid red color, ramps up in the fall, protecting and prolonging the leaf’s life on a tree throughout autumn.

And those yellows that make you feel as if you’re walking in a ray of sunshine?

They’re produced by flavonol, which is part of the flavonoid protein family. It’s always present in leaves but doesn’t show itself until chlorophyll production begins to slow.