Last Updated on June 2, 2021 11:03 am
Data recorded at the official National Weather Service reporting station at Grandfather Mountain’s Mile High Swinging Bridge indicated average May weather at the Linville, N.C., nature park.
The lowest temperature observed in April 2021 was 31° Fahrenheit on May 8. The lowest temperature ever observed on Grandfather Mountain in the month of May was 15° on May 6, 1957.
The warmest day recorded in May 2021 was 76° on May 25 and 27 — only 2 degrees shy of the mountain’s record May high of 78°, recorded May 19, 1996.
The average high temperature for the month was 62.3°, with an average low of 45°, for a May 2021 mean of 53.7°.
On May 1, the station recorded a wind gust of 82 mph, while the highest sustained wind speed clocked in at 63.9 that same day.
As observed at the park’s nature museum, the mountain saw 2.58 inches of precipitation in May. Precipitation is measured at this lower elevation, as high winds make it difficult to record accurate observations at the top.
The mountain’s rainiest May was recorded in 2009, when 13.59 inches of rain were observed. The driest May on record was recorded in 2007, when only 1.43 inches were measured.
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 daily temperature, precipitation and weather events from locations near the Mile High Swinging Bridge and the Nature Museum.
For more information on weather at Grandfather Mountain, visit http://bit.ly/gfmweather.
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, call 800-468-7325, or visit www.grandfather.com to book a trip.