Originally published by Baltimore Sun.
As autumn sets in, Maryland trees show their true colors: Deep reds, fiery oranges, golden yellows. What a show it is. When and where to find fall foliage at its best, though, isn’t as simple as looking up a movie time.
When leaves change color depends on many factors, including temperature, light and water supply. In Maryland, the westernmost and highest elevated jurisdiction, Garrett County, typically kicks things off. This year Garrett’s first fall color was observed the first week of September, according to Melissa Nash, a forester at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Garrett may have a “rolling peak” instead of a county-wide peak this year, Nash said, which may happen over the next week. A rolling peak may require those hunting fall foliage to travel around the county to find peak foliage since some areas may have more muted colors due to the difference in moisture.
As of October 5, the department’s weekly fall foliage report showed over half of the state as having leaves just beginning to change, with the Eastern Shore showing no change yet. Some species turn sooner than others. American beech, sweetgum, red maple, and scarlet oak, for example, were early indicators in Southern Maryland, the report noted.
According to Explore Fall, a website that models fall foliage using temperature, precipitation and daylight data, as of Thursday, over half of the state had at least low color, with moderate color taking over Western Maryland. The forecast over the next seven days shows high color beginning in Garrett County with moderate color starting to move across the state.
This tracker will update every Monday and Thursday with the current status of fall foliage and forecast for the next week. The maps are based on data from Explore Fall.
