Fall foliage in Louisiana

Louisiana’s fall comes late and is concentrated along waterways and in the northern hills. Bald cypress in the Atchafalaya Basin and around the northern lakes turns rust in November, and red maple, sweetgum and black gum add color in the Kisatchie hills and the Florida parishes through the second half of the month. The change runs north to south and lingers into December near the coast. Compared with the states to the north the season is muted.

Those are the months when color is present somewhere in Louisiana, from its highest ground to its lowest. Any one location changes over a much shorter period than that.

Why the timing shifts from year to year

Shortening days start the process, so most places in Louisiana change at close to their usual time each year. Within the state, elevation and latitude account for most of the difference: higher and more northern ground generally changes first, and lower, sheltered ground last. Weather has more effect on how strong the color is than on when it appears. Cool nights and sunny days favor the reds, a dry summer mutes them, and a hard freeze or a windstorm can strip a slope in a day. What determines the timing goes through this in detail.

Nearby states

Fall color does not follow state lines. Louisiana borders:

• Arkansas fall foliage
• Mississippi fall foliage
• Texas fall foliage

Timing for a specific place

This page describes a whole state, which is about as precise as a season can be described in words. Conditions at one overlook on one weekend are a narrower question, and that is the one Fallcast answers: an expected period of color for a specific location, with a confidence attached, updated through the season as the trees change. It is coming to iPhone this fall.

Questions, or somewhere in Louisiana you would like covered? Write to fallcastapp@gmail.com.