It will be a about two more months before the leaves here in Alexandria hit peak fall brilliance. In the Shenandoah Mountains, where many Northern Virginians go leaf peeping, peak foliage will be in about 6 weeks.
Temperatures this week are expected to be in the 80s in Alexandria and near 80 in Luray, Virginia (in the Shenandoah Mountains). While overnight temperatures have been cooler recently, they aren’t cool enough to start the fall transition yet.
In addition, this year has been unusually wet. The DC metro area is very close to hitting its annual rainfall average of 39.74 inches, and it’s only September. Hurricane Florence's outer bands could bring more moisture to the region this week.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, “The amount and brilliance of the colors that develop in any particular autumn season are related to weather conditions that occur before and during the time the chlorophyll in the leaves is dwindling. Temperature and moisture are the main influences.”
Over the next several weeks, fall color fans should be hoping for sunny days and cool nights — that mix will help colors be brighter, according to the Forest Service: “A succession of warm, sunny days and cool, crisp but not freezing nights seems to bring about the most spectacular color displays.”
