Last Updated on September 28, 2026 8:03 am
LINVILLE, N.C. – August 2026 saw fairly standard conditions for the month on Grandfather Mountain, according to data recorded at the park's official weather reporting stations. No weather records were tied or set during the month.
The average high temperature for August 2026 was 67.44 degrees Fahrenheit, with an average low of 59 degrees and a mean of 63.22 degrees. The 70-year averages for August temperatures at Grandfather Mountain include an average high temperature of 68.3 degrees, an average low temperature of 56.2 degrees and a mean of 62.3 degrees.
The warmest temperature recorded last month was 75.4 degrees on Aug. 16. Grandfather's record high temperature for August is 83 degrees, observed Aug. 22, 1983. This August record is just below the highest temperature ever recorded in Grandfather's 70 years as a weather reporting station, 83.2 degrees on July 1, 2012.
Aug. 23 and 24 saw the coldest temperatures recorded last month with both days dipping to 54 degrees. The lowest temperature ever observed on Grandfather Mountain in the month of August is 36 degrees on Aug. 29, 1986.
The weather station on the Mile High Swinging Bridge noted one day in August with a wind gust higher than 60 mph. On Aug. 13, the weather station at the top recorded the month's highest wind gust of 68.8 mph, while the month's highest recorded sustained wind speed clocked in at 43.4 mph on Aug. 12. The highest gust ever recorded on Grandfather Mountain was 124 mph, observed Feb. 25, 2019.
The weather station near the Swinging Bridge reported 7.98 inches of precipitation in Aug. 2026. Precipitation at the top of the mountain includes rain and the liquid equivalent of any frozen precipitation (when applicable). Due to wind, snow depth is not recorded at the top.
Observations recorded near the park's Wilson Center for Nature Discovery totaled 8.22 inches of precipitation. Precipitation is also measured at the latter location, as high winds can make it difficult to record accurate observations at the top.
The mountain's rainiest August was recorded in 2008, when 12.47 inches were observed near the bridge. The driest August on record was observed in 1956, when .81 inches were measured at the top.
There were 22 days of at least trace amounts of recorded liquid precipitation (rain and the liquid equivalent of frozen precipitation, when applicable) for August 2026. The day last month with the highest amount of this precipitation observed was Aug. 2, when 1.44 inches were recorded at the top. The day with the highest amount of precipitation observed on record for August is Aug. 27, 2008, when the weather station noted 8.5 inches.
Weather Reporting
The Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation records and reports data in two different ways:
The park maintains an automated weather station at the top of the Mile High Swinging Bridge. The N.C. State Climate Office assists the foundation in calibrating the machines and ensuring overall accuracy of data.
Grandfather Mountain has been an active member of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Cooperative Observer Program since 1956 by reporting weather data from locations near the Mile High Swinging Bridge and the Nature Museum (now the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery).
For more information on weather at Grandfather Mountain, visit www.grandfather.com/weather.
The nonprofit Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation strives to inspire conservation of the natural world by helping guests explore, understand and value the wonders of Grandfather Mountain. For more information, visit www.grandfather.com.
📷 Leslie Restivo
