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Above Average Precipitation Amounts Continue in February At Grandfather Mountain

March 5, 2013. Some form of precipitation (rain, snow and melted snow) was measured at Grandfather Mountain for half the days of the month of February.

Grandfather_Mountain_Bridge-27527Grandfather Mountain measures precipitation at multiple locations on the Mountain.  Entrance Gate employees recorded 4.42 inches of liquid precipitation for the month and the naturalist staff recorded 4.31 inches at the weather equipment near the Fudge Shop. 

The Top Shop was closed eight days in February due to adverse winter weather.  The rainfall total from the Top Shop’s gathered data is 7.21 inches for the past month, which is 2.51 inches, or 53 percent, above the 57-year average rainfall total for February of 4.70 inches.

Since the Top Shop was closed for eight days of the month, no snow was measured at the top of the Mountain.  Entrance Gate employees recorded 14.2 inches of snow for the month and the naturalist staff recorded 12.4 inches at the weather equipment near the Fudge Shop. 

The recorded snowfall for the winter-to-date (since October 1, 2012) is four inches at the Top Shop, 33.2 inches at the Fudge Shop and 37.4 inches at the Entrance Gate.

The automatic weather station at the top of Grandfather Mountain recorded an average high temperature for February of 35.2 degrees and an average low temperature of 19.3 degrees.  These numbers are slightly above the State Climate Office data from Mt. Mitchell State Park.  The average high temperature at Mt. Mitchell was 33.6 degrees and the average low temperature was 18.2 degrees.  The lowest temperature recorded at Grandfather during the month was 0.8 degrees on February 1.

Wind gusts over 60 mph were recorded 14 times.  The highest three-second gust during the month was 96.5 mph recorded February 17.

For more information on Grandfather Mountain’s weather data or to access current conditions please visit www.grandfather.com.