Last Updated on October 3, 2013 5:23 pm
For the first time since April, the weather station at the top of Grandfather Mountain recorded below average monthly rainfall. The rainfall total for September was 4.26 inches, which is 1.97 inches, or 32 percent, below the 58-year average rainfall total for August 6.23 inches.
Rain for the year-to-date is 74.75, which is 24.73 inches (or 49 percent above the norm for this time of the year.
Grandfather Mountain measures precipitation at multiple locations on the Mountain. Entrance Gate employees recorded 2.59 inches of rain for the month and the naturalist staff recorded 2.89 inches at the weather equipment near the Fudge Shop.
The automatic weather station at the top of Grandfather Mountain recorded the average high temperature for the month as 61.4 degrees and the average low temperature as 50.2 degrees. These numbers read a few degrees higher than the State Climate Office data from Mt. Mitchell State Park. The average high temperature at Mt. Mitchell was 59.8 degrees and the average low temperature was 47.9 degrees.
The highest three-second gust during the month was 63.86 mph recorded September 13.
For more information on Grandfather Mountain's weather data or to access current conditions please visit www.grandfather.com.
