Fall is coming, folks. When, exactly, will autumn be upon us? You'll want to consult this new prediction map by SmokyMountains.com to figure it out.
Developed based on an algorithm that uses historic foliage patterns and data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the map forecasts when fall foliage is expected to peak all across the country.
"The SmokyMountains.com predictive leaf map uses tens-of-thousands of data points including area elevation, historical and forecast temperatures, and historical and predicted rainfall," reads an official statement by the website. "In addition, we carefully analyze the accuracy of previous years and update our proprietary algorithm to increase the accuracy each year."
When interacting with the slider at the bottom of the graph, users will notice the map of the country light up in colors that indicate leaf viewing trends (no change, minimal, patchy, partial, near peak, peak and past peak). On September 17, for example, the majority of the country's southern regions will not yet witness any visual changes in foliage, while leaves in Minnesota, Montana and Idaho will likely be orange and red already. By October 15, the map predicts most fall foliage to be past peak.
So start planning that long-awaited autumn trip—and you might want to check out the best road trips in America and the most scenic train rides in America while you're at it as well.