The slight chill in the air and sunny days ahead should add some pop to the fall color show in the mountains, longtime foliage expert Howie Neufeld said.

Swaths of trees will begin to turn red, yellow and orange beginning this weekend, with colors expected to be at their most vibrant in two weeks in areas with elevations between 3,000 and 5,000 feet. That includes Boone, Blowing Rock, Grandfather Mountain and Doughton Park, said Neufeld, a biologist at Appalachian State University and one of the state's go-to fall foliage forecasters.

Peak fall colors arrive in lower elevations at the rate of about 1,000 feet a week. By the end of October, areas at 2,000 feet, including Pilot Mountain State Park, will be at their showiest. The blaze of colors should hit the Piedmont in mid-November, Neuf

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