Fall Foliage Peak 2019 Delayed In Maryland By Warm Temperatures

MARYLAND — Maryland's fall foliage colors will be delayed in 2019 because of above average temperatures in September, the Weather Channel says. When will peak colors arrive in Maryland? You can’t know precisely, but there’s a handy tool to help you plan excursions when fall foliage should be at its most spectacular.

Much of the nation is predicted to have above-average temperatures in mid- to late September, and parts of the Northeast could be particularly warm (by September standards) over the next one to two weeks, the Weather Channel says. Despite the generally warm and sunny days, the milder overnight lows across the country have pushed the typical start of fall foliage season. The delay will be worth the wait because the wet summer should created a vibrant foliage season barring any unusually heavy rains or strong winds.

The changing of the foliage is still a few weeks away for most of the state; however, in western Maryland, pockets in the higher elevations are starting to show splotches of brilliant color, says the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Garrett County Forester Melissa Nash spotted the changing colors on a tree in New Germany State Park and reports, “This sugar maple … is telling us fall is just around the corner! If these warm days and cool nights keep up along with intermittent rain we should get some good color this year.”

Traditionally, western Maryland is the region where leaf color changes first, with Garrett and Allegany counties’ foliage taking the lead and peaking toward the middle of October.

The Fall Foliage Prediction Map, found on the Smoky Mountain National Park website, includes predictions not just for the Smokies, which rise above the Tennessee-North Carolina border, but for all 50 states.

In Maryland, fall colors are expected to peak around the week of Oct. 12.

Our state offers some stunning vistas, including several in state parks suggested by Visit Maryland:

• The C&O Canal National Historic Park offers numerous hiking options, such as the strenuous Billy Goat Trail for advanced hikers. The trail rewards hikers with vistas of the surging Potomac River flanked by forests bursting with color.
• Elk Neck State Park located on a peninsula between the Chesapeake Bay and the Elk River combines colorful forests with sandy beaches for great viewing. From the Turkey Point parking lot off Route 272 South, it's an easy one-mile walk to the historic 1833 Turkey Point Lighthouse atop a 100-foot bluff at the southern tip of the Elk Neck Peninsula. Climb 35 feet to its top for a spectacular view of the Bay waters and brilliant fall foliage.
• Patapsco Valley State Park, covering 32 miles of the Patapsco River in Howard County, offers great fall foliage views from the comfort of your car if that's a better fit for you. Drive to Valley Overlook in the Hollofield area right off Route 40. From there you can venture into Ellicott City's Main Street, which has shops and restaurants open even as it recovers from fatal August floods.
• In the heart of Baltimore County's horse country, Oregon Ridge Park near Cockeysville has hiking trails that showcase a tree-scape of yellow, orange and red.
• Swallow Falls State Park in Garrett County is located nine miles north of Oakland and contains part of the Youghiogheny River, which flows along the park's borders, passing through shaded rocky gorges and creating rippling rapids, and Muddy Creek Falls, a 53-foot waterfall. The 1 1/4 mile trail through Swallow Falls guides hikers to Western Maryland's breath-taking scenery.
• Other areas to visit close to the Baltimore-Washington metro area: Gwynnbrook Wildlife Management Area in Owings Mills, Baltimore County; Sugar Loaf Mountain Natural Resource Area in southern Frederick County; Seneca Creek State Park just southwest of Gaithersburg; and Dierssen Wildlife Management Area situated between the C&O Canal and the Potomac River in Montgomery County, offering first-rate opportunities for waterfowl watching and quiet interludes for strollers along the Canal Tow Path.

If you’re planning a trip somewhere else, the Fall Foliage Prediction Map can help you pinpoint the best dates for a visit.

"The predictive fall leaf map helps potential travelers, photographers and leaf peepers determine the precise future date that the leaves will peak in each area of the continental United States. By utilizing the date selector at the bottom of the map, the user can visually understand how fall will progress over a region,” data scientist Wes Melton, the website’s chief technical officer, said in a statement.

The major factors that determine the fall foliage peak are sunlight, precipitation, soil moisture and temperature.

“Nothing is 100 percent accurate,” David Angotti, the cofounder of the website told Patch, but the tool “gets pretty darned close.”

Of course, “we can have a brilliant fall, and Mother Nature can come in with a wind storm and rip those leaves off in minutes,” Angotti said.

Where To Find The Best Fall Color

Angotti and his team monetize the Fall Foliage Prediction Map with Smoky Mountain cabin rentals.

He admits some “bias that Tennessee has some of the best leaves in the country. I honestly do believe that,” Angotti said, “but you’ll also find good color in the Blue Ridge Mountains; up in the Northeast corridor, especially Vermont and even into Virginia; the Poconos in Pennsylvania; the Colorado aspen trees; and in a lot of different areas of the country.”

What Causes The Different Colors

You probably remember from science class that the color change all starts with photosynthesis. Leaves constantly churn out chlorophyll — a key component in a plant’s ability to turn sunlight into the glucose it needs to stay healthy — from spring through early fall. Those cells saturate the leaves, making them appear green to the human eye.

But leaves aren’t green at all. Autumn is the time for leaves’ big reveal: their true color, unveiled as chlorophyll production grinds to a halt. The colors in fall’s breathtaking tapestry are influenced by other compounds, according to the national park’s website.

Beta carotene, the same pigment that makes carrots orange, reflects the yellow and red light from the sun and gives leaves an orange hue.

The production of anthocyanin, which gives leaves their vivid red color, ramps up in the fall, protecting and prolonging the leaf’s life on a tree throughout autumn.

And those yellows that make you feel as if you’re walking in a ray of sunshine?

They’re produced by flavonol, which is part of the flavonoid protein family. It’s always present in leaves, but doesn’t show itself until chlorophyll production begins to slow.