High Country Weather Extremes – Three County Explorer
🌡️ High Country Weather Extremes 🌡️
Historical Weather Records for Watauga, Ashe & Avery Counties
Watauga County Weather Extremes
📊 Complete Dataset: January 1, 1893 – December 2024 (131 Years)
🔥
96°F
Hottest Temperature Ever
Boone – July 10, 1936
❄️
-24°F
Coldest Temperature Ever
Blowing Rock – January 21, 1985
🌨️
24″
Biggest Snowfall (1-Day)
Blowing Rock – March 13, 1993
🌀
21.47″
Most Precipitation (1-Day)
Seven Devils – Sep 27, 2024 Hurricane Helene
🌀 Hurricane Helene – September 27, 2024
Hurricane Helene shattered the all-time precipitation record that had stood since 1893. The storm dropped 21.47 inches at Seven Devils—more than double the previous record of 9.50 inches. Multiple stations across Watauga County recorded historic totals: Boone (20.12″), Blowing Rock (16.91″), and Foscoe (21.60″ over 3 days). This was the most significant rainfall event in 131 years of recorded history. Helene also spawned an EF-1 tornado near Blowing Rock—the first tornado in Watauga County since 1998.
🍂 Seasonal Weather Patterns
🌸 Spring (Mar-May)
High: 89°F (April 1942)
Low: -6°F (March 1996)
Dramatic temperature swings with late snows and early heat waves
☀️ Summer (Jun-Aug)
High: 96°F (July 1936)
Low: 33°F (June/August)
Warm days with cool mountain nights; occasional thunderstorms
🍁 Fall (Sep-Nov)
High: 92°F (September 1954)
Low: -7°F (November 1950)
Beautiful foliage; Hurricane Helene (2024) set all-time rain record
❄️ Winter (Dec-Feb)
High: 78°F (January 1929)
Low: -24°F (January 1985)
Cold and snowy with occasional warm spells
📅 Explore Monthly Records
Ashe County Weather Extremes
📊 Data Range: 1907 – 2024 | Primary Stations: Jefferson, Idlewild, Transou, West Jefferson
🔥
98°F
Hottest Temperature Ever
Jefferson – August 21, 1925
❄️
-24°F
Coldest Temperature Ever
Transou – January 21, 1985
🌨️
24″
Biggest Snowfall (1-Day)
Jefferson – March 14, 1993
🌀
17.08″
Most Precipitation (1-Day)
SE of West Jefferson – Sep 27, 2024 Hurricane Helene
🌀 Hurricane Helene – September 27, 2024
Hurricane Helene broke Ashe County's all-time precipitation record that had stood since 1940. The storm dropped 17.08 inches southeast of West Jefferson, surpassing the previous record of 13.08 inches set at Idlewild on August 14, 1940. CoCoRaHS observers also recorded 10.95″ at West Jefferson 1.5 W and 9.08″ at West Jefferson 1.4 SE. The cooperative observer station in Sparta recorded 17.29 inches—the wettest 3-day period on record.
🌡️ Highest Temperatures on Record
🥇 #1
98°F
Jefferson 2 E
August 21, 1925
🥈 #2
97°F
Jefferson 2 E
July 22, 1926
🥉 #3
96°F
Jefferson 2 E
July 1, 2012
4️⃣ #4
96°F
Jefferson 2 E
July 20, 1926
5️⃣ #5
96°F
Jefferson 2 E
July 21, 1926
❄️ Lowest Temperatures on Record
🥇 #1
-24°F
Transou
January 21, 1985
🥈 #2
-20°F
Jefferson 2 E
December 30, 1917
🥉 #3
-17°F
Parker 1 E
December 28, 1925
4️⃣ #4
-15°F
Jefferson 2 E
January 10, 1970
5️⃣ #5
-15°F
Jefferson 2 E
January 27, 1987
💧 Greatest One-Day Precipitation
🥇 #1 HELENE
17.08″
9 mi SSE West Jefferson
September 27, 2024
🥈 #2
13.08″
Idlewild
August 14, 1940
🥉 #3
9.42″
Jefferson 2 E
January 15, 1995
4️⃣ #4
8.15″
Idlewild
November 6, 1977
5️⃣ #5
7.90″
Jefferson 2 E
August 30, 1940
🌨️ Greatest One-Day Snowfall
🥇 #1
24″
Jefferson 2 E
March 14, 1993
🥇 #1
24″
Transou
January 7, 1996
🥉 #3
23″
Jefferson 2 E
January 28, 1998
4️⃣ #4
21″
Idlewild
January 28, 1998
📝 Note: Monthly breakdown data for Ashe County is limited. The records shown above represent all-time extremes from available weather stations. For comprehensive monthly data, see Watauga County's 131-year record.
Hurricane Helene devastated Avery County with 22.85 inches of rainfall at Banner Elk—nearly double the previous all-time record of 11.57 inches set at Grandfather Mountain on September 8, 2004. The NWS also recorded 14.85 inches at Banner Elk 0.7 W. Six people lost their lives in Avery County from flooding and landslides, including three from landslides in the Newland area. The North Toe River caused catastrophic flooding in downtown Newland, with numerous homes and businesses inundated or swept away.
🌡️ Highest Temperatures on Record
🥇 #1
98°F
Banner Elk
June 21, 1948
🥇 #1
98°F
Banner Elk
June 26, 1916
🥇 #1
98°F
Banner Elk
June 26, 1948
4️⃣ #4
97°F
Banner Elk
August 9, 1944
5️⃣ #5
97°F
Banner Elk
August 12, 1925
❄️ Lowest Temperatures on Record
🥇 #1
-32°F
Grandfather Mountain
January 21, 1985
🥈 #2
-31°F
Banner Elk
January 21, 1985
🥉 #3
-26°F
Banner Elk
January 10, 1982
🥉 #3
-26°F
Grandfather Mountain
January 30, 1966
5️⃣ #5
-22°F
Grandfather Mountain
January 24, 1963
💧 Greatest One-Day Precipitation
🥇 #1 HELENE
22.85″
Banner Elk
September 27, 2024
🥈 #2 HELENE
14.85″
Banner Elk 0.7 W
September 27, 2024
🥉 #3
11.57″
Grandfather Mountain
September 8, 2004
4️⃣ #4
9.60″
Banner Elk
September 2, 1910
5️⃣ #5
8.66″
Banner Elk
July 16, 1916
🌨️ Greatest One-Day Snowfall
🥇 #1
25.1″
Grandfather Mountain
January 31, 1998
🥈 #2
22.5″
Grandfather Mountain
January 10, 1996
🥉 #3
22″
Banner Elk
March 13, 1993
4️⃣ #4
20″
Grandfather Mountain
March 22, 2001
5️⃣ #5
18″
Banner Elk
February 7, 1922
📝 Note: Avery County is home to Grandfather Mountain, one of the coldest and snowiest locations in the Southeast. The mountain's weather station has recorded some of North Carolina's most extreme conditions. Monthly breakdown data is limited; for comprehensive monthly records, see Watauga County's 131-year dataset.
📊 More Weather History:
For wind gust records see this page.
For wind chill history see this page.
