FLICKR/THOMAS HAWK
Grantwood Village shows its stuff.
Get ready to ooh and ahh at the glories of nature: The leaves in St. Louis are finally turning, and the best times to ogle them begin early next week.
That's according to a super-cool interactive fall foliage map constructed by the Smoky Mountains National Park. It shows that St. Louis has finally hit "partial" foliage status as of this week — and that "near peak" conditions will arrive on November 5.
By November 12, the map says, we should officially be at full-on "peak" status.
Alas, it's all downhill from there. By November 19, we're officially "past peak," with fall finally hitting peak status for our neighbors to the south in Arkansas.
As for the science behind this map, it is not to be doubted. Per Vox.com, "The map pulls historical data and seasonal forecast predictions from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and makes a best guess about peak timing."
Which certainly seems better than our best guesstimate .... which largely involves looking outside and trying to suss things out based on what we remember from past years. Hey, what are you going to believe — a fancy interactive map or your own eyes?
