Deciduous trees in warm climates

Er, NC.

In my home state if Ohio, the trees would accelerate their change after a hard frost.

In California, the trees will change their color and lose their leaves, but it takes most of the winter for all of them to get it done. Up in the mountains, significant numbers of the same species can manage to change together, but that’s not really a warm climate, as mentioned in the original question.

I’ve heard that if there is a hard frost early, the leaves will turn into beautiful hues.