Fall foliage in West Virginia

West Virginia’s color begins on the Allegheny highlands and descends over about three weeks; the drop from Spruce Knob to the Potomac is more than four thousand feet and the season follows it. Spruce Knob, Canaan Valley, Blackwater Falls and Cass turn in the first and second weeks of October; the New River Gorge, Pipestem and the mid-elevation plateau follow in the third week; the Eastern Panhandle around Harpers Ferry and the Ohio Valley finish in the last days of the month. Maple, cherry and birch carry the highlands; oaks and hickories take over lower down.

Color somewhere in the state: October
Trees: maple, cherry, birch, oak and hickory
Region: Mid-Atlantic

Those are the months when color is present somewhere in West Virginia, 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 West Virginia 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. West Virginia borders:

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 West Virginia you would like covered? Write to fallcastapp@gmail.com.