With summer drawing to a close, thoughts turn to fall...and the tradition of leaf-peeping in Western North Carolina. While much of the country has been in drought, North Carolina has gotten plenty of rain in recent months...and that means the foliage this year could be particularly spectacular. Pamela McCown is coordinator for the Institute for Climate Education at A-B Tech in Asheville. She says rainfall is the most important factor in predicting a good year for fall foliage.
"Good healthy trees have a more likely occurrence of producing some beautiful fall colors when things begin to change. So the good news for those of us here in the Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge is that we have had some really good rainfall this year for the trees, so it looks like we're off to a good start for producing some beautiful colors this year," said McCown.
Meanwhile, McCown says traditional fall foliage destinations elsewhere in the country - like the Northeast - are expected to have an off year because of the drought.
