By Katelyn Aluise, HD Media
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — In anticipation of leaves changing in the coming months, the West Virginia Department of Tourism has released its 2024 Fall Foliage Projection Map to guide people toward scenic views.
According to Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby, the Division of Forestry provides the department with expert guidance for the fall foliage forecast each year. She said in an email to HD Media that the map is based on several factors, including elevation and the types of trees found in different regions of the state.
The first areas to see changing leaves will be parts of Monongalia and Preston counties, south through the Mountain Lakes region excluding Marlinton. The Mid-Ohio Valley south through Nicholas and Greenbrier counties can expect foliage in mid-October.
Pocahontas County north through Mineral and Hampshire counties can expect the start of fall colors around early to mid-October.
But counties in the Eastern Panhandle, the Northern Panhandle, the southern part of Pocahontas County near Marlinton, and the southern part of the state, including the Metro Valley and parts of the Greenbrier Valley, could all expect fall colors as late as mid-October to early November.
