Cold Snap, First Frost Possible as Peak Fall Color Arrives This Weekend

Young Harris, Ga. — A strong cold front will end a stretch of summerlike weather Friday, dropping weekend temperatures into the 30s across the mountains just as peak fall color arrives and two of the region's biggest festivals hold their second weekends.

Highs will reach the mid-80s Wednesday and Thursday before the front moves through Friday, according to the National Weather Service. Saturday's highs will top out only in the low 60s, and Saturday night lows will fall to the mid-30s — around 35 degrees in Blairsville and colder at higher elevations — raising the possibility of patchy frost Sunday morning, the weather service said. Sunday will remain cool, with highs in the low to mid-60s.

No frost advisory had been issued as of Tuesday, and forecasters said the numbers could still shift before the weekend. Residents with tender plants should plan to cover them before Saturday night, particularly at higher elevations, where temperatures run coldest.

The cold arrives as fall color reaches its peak in the high elevations of western North Carolina this weekend, with Cherokee and Clay counties expected to peak the week of Oct. 21–27 and north Georgia's peak running from late October into early November. Forecasters and foliage trackers say cold nights can speed up the color change.

The weekend also brings the second weekend of Sorghum in the Mountains at Meeks Park in Blairsville, after organizers canceled the festival's first weekend because of Hurricane Isaias. The festival parade, moved from last weekend, is set for 10 a.m. Saturday. The Georgia Apple Festival in Ellijay also holds its second weekend.