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2022 Fall Foliage Prediction Map

59 points| nkurz | 3 years ago |smokymountains.com

28 comments

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[+] bilsbie|3 years ago|reply
Warning: always get a second opinion/source. I planned a trip to north Georgia based off of this exact website three years ago and it ended up being about 3-4 weeks before the leaves turned.

Worst website ever.

[+] c0nsumer|3 years ago|reply
Agreed.

I'm in Michigan. This map seems to change all of Michigan to Peak at the same time, which absolutely does not happen.

It varies as you move south in the state, typically a couple weeks apart from way northern Michigan to down by Detroit. Heck, I've been in the Upper Peninsula at peak leaves and then they started falling, gone south a few days later to the northern Lower Peninsula and things were just starting to pop, then home down near Detroit almost everything was still green.

That's... just how it works in Michigan. But that's not what this map shows. And therefore I've no reason to believe it.

[+] groggo|3 years ago|reply
I think it's a pretty awesome website! Maybe just the worst data ever?

It has a link for you to submit your observations and improve the data.

[+] toomuchtodo|3 years ago|reply
If you can make it to the Smoky Mountains or the Blue Ridge Parkway sometime over the next 20 days, it’s the best time of the year to see the foliage.

Doesn’t hurt to stop in Asheville (NC), Gatlinburg (TN), or Cherokee (NC) briefly either if you have the time.

[+] its_bbq|3 years ago|reply
The Moog store in Asheville has dozens of synths just out and hooked up for visitors to play on their sales floor. Best toy store I've been to in years!
[+] glonq|3 years ago|reply
Take a detour into Transylvania County and look for white squirrels.
[+] francisofascii|3 years ago|reply
It may be the best time to visit the foliage, but be warned it is the worst time for traffic and crowds.
[+] whalesalad|3 years ago|reply
Anyone in Michigan wanna rent an Airbnb with me up north for a hacker house type situation? I wanna head up to explore and get away from the city. I’m thinking of renting a place for a week. Coding. Hiking. Reading. Up for anything!
[+] Loudergood|3 years ago|reply
I live in Vermont, this is not accurate and at least a week ahead of what I'd expect.
[+] butwhywhyoh|3 years ago|reply
> If trees did not shed their leaves, their soft vegetation would certainly freeze during winter time, damaging and, no doubt, killing the tree.

This is just plain wrong, and makes no sense. If the leaves froze and died during the winter, how is this different from the tree losing the leaves to begin with?

Trees lose their leaves to stop the process of drawing water up from the roots through their trunks. If water were to go through the freeze/thaw cycle inside the long "straws" of the tree trunk, the tree would be torn apart from the expansion/contraction cycle of the ice.

[+] busyant|3 years ago|reply
About 10 years ago, we had a freak snow storm in early October in the northeast us.

The trees that normally shed their leaves had not done so yet and huge numbers of them suffered serious breaks from the weight of the snow clinging to the leaves.

It was at that point that I realized the purpose of shedding leaves in the winter.

Prior to that I used to think, "Okay, so what if there is LESS sun in the winter time? Why bother shedding leaves when you can pick up some extra energy from winter sunlight? And you don't have to expend the energy rebuilding leaves in the spring.'

My suspicion is that the leaves fall primarily to avoid snow-induced catastrophic breaks and related damage.

[+] sudden_dystopia|3 years ago|reply
Leaves are still mostly green here in the upper Midwest. Just starting to see the traces of orange.
[+] clumsysmurf|3 years ago|reply
Anyone know how they create the underlying model for visualization, and how often it is updated? If we have a snap cold spell one evening and the leaves fall, does that get reflected in the visualization?
[+] bilsbie|3 years ago|reply
A guy in basement making guesses? See my other comment.
[+] oldandboring|3 years ago|reply
So much for making things accessible to the color-blind.
[+] supergeek|3 years ago|reply
Serious question: Is the fall foliage visible at all to the colorblind? Is it less vivid, or just downright invisible until the leaves start to die?
[+] timst4|3 years ago|reply
This is already off. I would add a week or more to the prediction. We are in the middle of a cold snap but I haven’t seen it affect foliage that much.