I think dogwoods here in the Athens area may just be turning brown instead of their normal red, and tulip or yellow poplars may not have a brilliant color as they usually do. They may just drop their leaves all at once. More rainfall since early August may also alleviate some tree stress. Fall leaf watchers should hope for dry sunny days instead of overcast, rainy weather, to help build carbon in the leaves. The first fall colors to appear are the yellows, followed by the oranges and then the reds.
Most people consider peak color to be just after the oranges.
The fall color of a few trees, such as the sugar maple, dogwood, sweet gum, black gum and sourwood are usually red but could also be yellow. New England traditionally has the brightest fall color, although the season is shorter. North Georgia's peak color is usually from the third week of October through Nov. 1, with varying fall weather conditions moving that peak sooner or later in the season. In general, the further north sightseers travel, the lesser the impact of the drought. Vencill predicts the Great Smokies, from North Carolina up into Virginia should have very good color.