While warm, wet weather this summer and fall combined with tropical storms moving through the area, could put something of a damper on fall colors, warmer-than-average temperatures could mean fall colors last longer overall. The National Weather Service is predicting near normal temperatures and a wetter-than-average September, with warmer than average temperatures through November.

“All the above may combine to bring on color a little earlier in some species and a little later in others, with spottier bright reds and yellows, and a less pronounced peak in late October at WCU’s elevation,” Collins said. “On the bright side, the mid- and late fall colors may last longer, into November around campus, and later in October at higher elevations.”

This could mean a color season running from late September well into November when accounting for both the higher and lower elevations — though a late storm knocking leaves off the trees could change that.

Trees’ leaf colors are a mixture of yellow, orange and red pigments that are revealed as photosynthesis and chlorophyll production wind down. These pigments, especially the yellow and orange, play a role in photosynthesis and, along with the red pigment, help protect the plant from stresses, such as drought, heat or high UV conditions.