Color map
Where the color is right now
Every point sits on its true coordinates. Size follows elevation, color follows today's stage - tap any point for its numbers.
National foliage map
Fall color across the country, week by week
Scrub the season to see when color reaches every county, then zoom back into the Smokies for the detailed forecast.
Week of
Aug 24
Checking this year's weather...
How to read this map
Still green (0-25)
Canopy is summer green with only scattered early turners.
Changing (26-61)
Color is arriving in patches - good, not yet the main event.
Near peak (62-83)
Most of the canopy has turned. Excellent conditions, still improving.
Peak (84-100)
Full color across the canopy. This is the window everyone plans around.
Past peak (after peak)
Leaves are dropping. Bare branches, muted browns, long views opening up.
Each animation step is one week. Pressing play advances the map seven days at a time from late August through early December, so you can watch color sweep south from the northern hardwoods and down from the high ridges into the valleys.
Peak probability is the chance a given day lands inside the true peak window. We center a bell curve on the predicted peak date and widen it as certainty drops: days further out, or spots without recent camera or observer confirmation, get a wider curve and therefore lower peak probability. A day right on the predicted peak with strong recent evidence reads near 100%; a day a week away, or a forecast three weeks out, drops off quickly.
Peak dates start from a climatological model built on latitude, terrain and regional climate, then shift with this year's observed weather. Smoky Mountains readings on this site add hourly station data and webcam checks, so they stay the most precise.
Live Smokies ridge map
How to read this map
Still green (0-25)
Canopy is summer green with only scattered early turners.
Changing (26-61)
Color is arriving in patches - good, not yet the main event.
Near peak (62-83)
Most of the canopy has turned. Excellent conditions, still improving.
Peak (84-100)
Full color across the canopy. This is the window everyone plans around.
Past peak (after peak)
Leaves are dropping. Bare branches, muted browns, long views opening up.
Peak probability is the chance a given day lands inside the true peak window. We center a bell curve on the predicted peak date and widen it as certainty drops: days further out, or spots without recent camera or observer confirmation, get a wider curve and therefore lower peak probability. A day right on the predicted peak with strong recent evidence reads near 100%; a day a week away, or a forecast three weeks out, drops off quickly.