Last Updated on November 24, 2023 6:44 pm
LINVILLE, N.C. – October 2023 was a pretty dry month on Grandfather Mountain, according to data recorded at the park’s official weather reporting stations.
The average high temperature for October 2023 was 52.94 degrees Fahrenheit, with an average low of 41.23 degrees and a mean of 47.09 degrees.
The warmest temperature recorded last month was 62.8 degrees on Oct. 2 and 25, more than 12 degrees shy of the mountain’s record October high of 75 degrees, observed Oct. 3, 1986. Generally, October sees fall weather conditions continue on Grandfather Mountain, with cooler temperatures starting to take hold.
Oct. 31 saw the coldest temperature recorded last month with 24.6 degrees. The lowest temperature ever observed on Grandfather Mountain in the month of October (not counting wind chill) was 12 degrees on Oct. 26, 1962.
The weather station on the Mile High Swinging Bridge noted six days in October with a wind gust higher than 60 mph. On Oct. 21, the weather station at the top recorded a wind gust of 86 mph, while the month’s highest recorded sustained wind speed clocked in at 55.8 mph on 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 1.46 inches of precipitation in October 2023, the sixth-lowest 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).
Observations recorded near the park’s Wilson Center for Nature Discovery totaled 1.25 inches of precipitation and also noted trace amounts of snowfall on Oct. 16 and 17. 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 October was recorded in 1970, when 15.86 inches were observed near the bridge. The driest October on record was observed in 1963, when 0.31 inches were recorded.
There were 16 days of at least trace amounts of recorded liquid precipitation (rain and the liquid equivalent of frozen precipitation, when applicable) for October 2023, nine days short of the record 25 days in 2019. The day last month with the highest amount of this precipitation observed was Oct. 21, when 0.37 inches were recorded at the top. The day with the highest amount of precipitation observed on record for October was Oct. 5, 1995, when the weather station observed 5.12 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.
October 2023 at Grandfather Mountain_Photo by Monty Combs_Courtesy of Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation: October 2023 was a pretty dry month on Grandfather Mountain, according to data recorded at the park’s official weather reporting stations. The weather station near the Mile High Swinging Bridge reported 1.46 inches of precipitation in October 2023, the sixth-lowest total on record for this month. (Photo Courtesy of Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation / Monty Combs)
