Last Updated on March 17, 2024 10:55 am
LINVILLE, N.C. – January 2024 saw quite a bit of snowfall on Grandfather Mountain, as well as some blustery conditions, according to data recorded at the park’s official weather reporting stations.
The average high temperature for January 2024 was 34.30 degrees Fahrenheit, with an average low of 20.64 degrees and a mean of 27.47 degrees.
The warmest temperature recorded last month was 53.2 degrees on Jan. 26, just under 12 degrees shy of the mountain’s record January high of 65 degrees, observed on Jan. 30, 2002.
Jan. 21 saw the coldest temperature recorded last month with minus 5.1 degrees. A wind chill of minus 34.41 was noted that same day. There were 13 other days in January that also recorded negative wind chills, with the lowest being minus 35.49 on Jan. 20. The lowest temperature ever observed on Grandfather Mountain in the month of January (not counting wind chill) was minus 32 degrees on Jan. 21, 1985.
The weather station on the Mile High Swinging Bridge noted nine days in January with a wind gust higher than 60 mph. On Jan. 28, the weather station at the top recorded a wind gust of 89.5 mph, while the month’s highest recorded sustained wind speed clocked in at 49 mph that same day. The highest gust ever recorded on Grandfather Mountain was 124 mph, observed Feb. 25, 2019.
The weather station near the Swinging Bridge reported 7.94 inches of precipitation in January 2024, the fifth-highest total on record for this month. 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 9.36 inches of precipitation and also noted 20.9 inches of snowfall for the month. 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 January was recorded in 1998, when 11.79 inches were observed near the bridge. The driest January on record was observed in 1956, when 0.59 inches were measured at the top.
There were 15 days of at least trace amounts of recorded liquid precipitation (rain and the liquid equivalent of frozen precipitation, when applicable) for January 2024. This specific total does not include days that the site was inaccessible due to inclement weather. The day last month with the highest amount of this precipitation observed was Jan. 12, when 3.22 inches were recorded at the top. (Note, the top was inaccessible for the three days prior to this measurement being taken due to inclement weather, and any precipitation from those days was subsequently recorded on Jan. 12.) The day with the highest amount of precipitation observed on record for January was Jan. 8, 1998, when the weather station noted 3.50 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 1955 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.
January 2024 at Grandfather Mountain_Photo by Leslie Restivo_Courtesy of Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation: January 2024 saw quite a bit of snowfall on Grandfather Mountain, as well as some blustery conditions, according to data recorded at the park’s official weather reporting stations. Observations recorded near the park’s Wilson Center for Nature Discovery totaled 9.36 inches of precipitation and also noted 20.9 inches of snowfall for the month. The weather station on the Mile High Swinging Bridge noted nine days in January with a wind gust higher than 60 mph. (Photo Courtesy of Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation / Leslie Restivo)
