NORFOLK, Va. — Late Fall is here as we enter November and cooler temperatures roll into the region.
The first official day of fall was Saturday, Sept. 23, but the fall foliage comes at different times across Virginia because of the varying landscapes, from the higher-elevation Blue Ridge Mountains to the near-sea-level parts of Hampton Roads.
If you're ready to see the leaves, smokymountains.com is ready to help with its 2023 Fall Foliage Prediction Map, which was created to help people plan trips around peak colors.
According to the map, the Blue Ridge Mountains in western Virginia and parts of northern Virginia saw minimal leaf changes on the week of Sept. 18.
The fall foliage map on October 13 shows that all of Virginia is predicted to see now past peak colors. Leaves saw peaking or near peak colors during the week of Oct. 16. The Shenandoah National Park's region saw its peak around October 22.
Generally speaking, the further east in Virginia you go, the later the color change will take place. In Hampton Roads, the fall foliage doesn't peak until the week of Oct. 30. By the week of Nov. 6, all of Virginia's fall foliage is predicted to be past peak.
According to smokymountains.com, the map uses a data model utilizing several factors, including historical temperature and precipitation, forecast temperature and precipitation, the type of trees prominent in a geographic region, historical trends and user data. Because leaf predictions aren't 100% accurate, the website invites people to submit real-time photos.
Where to see fall foliage in Virginia
Virginia is home to 22 units of the National Park Service (NPS), including the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Shenandoah National Park, and the Colonial Parkway. Tap or click here to find the nearest NPS unit to you.
There are also 41 state parks that offer a wide variety of scenery, from the mountains to the coastal areas. Tap or click here to find a Virginia state park near you.
