May 17, 2017. Record temperatures for May 17 were tied on Wednesday by one account. According to the National Weather Service’s station atop Watauga Medical Center, the high temperature touched 81 degrees on Wednesday. RaysWeather.com archives note that the high for May 17 is 81, reached in 1962.
April 7, 2017. While some of the High Country woke up to a dusting of snow on Friday, the wind was arguably the weather story of the night. The weather station at Grandfather Mountain recorded wind gusts up to 101.3 mph and a top wind speed of 63.1, according to the State Climate Office’s CRONOS database. This was recorded at 11 p.m. on Thursday, at which time the weather station stopped recording data. By Jesse Wood • Photos by Ken Ketchie
Mar. 14, 2017. Winter is still in the air in the High Country! While the snow may have backed off in some areas in recent hours, it looks like this late winter storm isn’t quite finished. Here’s what some of the High Country’s weather experts have to say about our mid-March snow shower. By Bailey Faulkner – Photos by Ken Ketchie
Mar. 3, 2017.This morning the High Country awoke to another strand of unexpected weather this week. With the chaotic tornado weather on Wednesday, with high winds and intense rain, it’s surprising that, at around approximately 7 a.m., the sky released a flurry of snow.By Katie Benfield – Photo Courtesy of Ken Ketchie
Feb. 20, 2017. The high temperature on President’s Day is forecasted to be nearly 70 degrees in Boone. RaysWeather.com noted that the temps later this afternoon will be about 20-degrees above the average high for this date, Feb. 20. Today’s high is forecasted to be 68 and that happens to be the record high from 1939. By Jesse Wood – Photo by Todd Bush
Dec. 20, 2016. The winter solstice is something else to celebrate this holiday season. Beginning on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 5:44 a.m. EST, the astronomical start of winter begins, meaning that the days will soon become longer. By Jesse Wood
Dec. 20, 2016. This morning, the National Weather Service issued a special weather statement about freezing fog, which is expected to burn off by mid-morning. The warning expires at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. By Jesse Wood • Photos by Jan Todd
Aug. 11, 2016. Just a couple weeks ago, we were all looking for relief from the 80-degree heat and dry weather that’s a bit much for us spoiled in the mountains. Now, we are looking for a respite from the rainy weather of the past two weeks. In fact, it has rained in the region every day since Aug. 1, according to RaysWeather.com. By Jesse Wood
July 12, 2016.The Boone Moose Lodge, 1805, is inviting motorcyclists from around the region to take part in the third annual Ride for Kids on July 23, beginning at 9 a.m. at the Boone Moose Lodge. The Ride 4 Kids is an annual motorcycle ride held each summer to benefit the Mooseheart Child City and School.
March 24, 2016. Spring-like weather continues. Highs in the 60s remain in Boone through the weekend., although showers will occur on Thursday evening and Friday morning, according to RaysWeather.com. By Jesse Wood
Feb. 10, 2016. The forecast for the next several days in the High Country is far from pleasant. Watauga Fire Officials would like to address safety concerns for keeping your animals and livestock safe during severe winter weather.
Jan. 21, 2016. A strong winter weather event will impact our area starting tonight that will bring heavy snow and the potential for freezing rain. TIPS:
Refrain from traveling if possible.
Make sure all your needed medications and oxygen are filled ahead of time.
Have a strong food and water supply.
Have a secondary source for heating in the event of power outages.
Properly vent fuel-burning appliances to avoid carbon monoxide exposure.
In the event of an emergency, remember to dial 911.
Continually monitor weather stations.
Sunday was definitely a washout, capping a week dominated by rain. RaysWeather.com noted that 4.8 inches of rain fell at the weather station at Grandfather Vineyard and Winery in Foscoe and that the highest totals were along the Blue Ridge from Avery to Alleghany counties. While Watauga County Schools operated on its regular schedule Monday, buses didn’t run on Guy Ford Road, Roby Greene Road, Watauga River Road and Dewitt Barnett Road.
By Jesse Wood • Photos by Ken Ketchie
March 5, 2015. Ray Russell of RaysWeather.com is probably smiling right now thinking of those blasted woolly worms, groundhogs, jar o’ beans and the other unscientific winter forecasts out there that compete with his ever-popular, data-backed “Fearless Forecast.” Remember Kwazimodo? By Jesse Wood • Photos by Kellen Short
Before noon on Wednesday, RaysWeather.com has a recorded temperature of 68.3 degrees. This day definitely qualifies as a “white-leg alert” – as some of the pictures above depict. But this nice weather won’t last long as arctic air is arriving tonight. Compiled by Jesse Wood • Photos by Ken Ketchie
Blue skies dominated the state of the weather on Friday afternoon, which turned into a great ‘snow day’ for children with schools being out to close the weekend. On Saturday, the temperature will be cold but slightly warmer. Plus, the sun should be out on Saturday before clouds and rain return on Sunday. Here are some pictures depicting how beautiful the day was on Friday.
By Jesse Wood • Photos by Ken Ketchie
Here are some photos the morning after last night’s snowstorm in the High Country, which received about 4 to 7 inches of snow, according to RaysWeather.com. By Jesse Wood • Photos by Ken Ketchie
With a couple hours before the storm is expected to begin, RaysWeather.com posted on Facebook, “It’s clear from radar that this storm will not disappoint. Right now I have more ‘upside’ fear than ‘downside.’” The latest forecast accumulation map from RaysWeather.com is calling for 5 to 7 inches in the vast majority of Avery and Watauga counties. By Jesse Wood • Photos by Ken Ketchie
Feb. 25, 2015. Before the snow from the last storm late Monday and early Tuesday has a chance to melt, Mother Nature has some more in store for us beginning Wednesday evening. Forecasts from RaysWeather.com and the regional National Weather Service office range from 3 to 7 inches, depending on the locale and elevation in the High Country. By Jesse Wood
Feb. 24, 2015. The amount of accumulation this morning was a bit of a surprise. Forecasts were revised and the roads were a slushfest. RaysWeather.com noted that one to three inches of snow covered the region at sunrise and more snow continued to fall throughout the morning. RaysWeather.com expects one to four inches throughout the daytime – with four to six inches at higher elevations and along the western escarpment. By Jesse Wood • Photos by Ken Ketchie
Feb. 20, 2015. For the second day in a row, the weather was record breaking. On Friday morning, residents of the High Country – and beyond – woke up to subzero temperatures and record lows for Feb. 20. Several of the towns or communities experienced temperatures for this date – Feb. 20 – that haven’t been felt in decades or, at least in one case, more than a century. By Jesse Wood
Feb. 20, 2015. Once the wind chills subside, then a National Weather Service winter-storm watch goes into effect late Friday night through late Saturday night. The meteorologists at RaysWeather.com are “thinking one to four inches” of accumulation before the snow turns into a wintry mix and then into rain on Saturday night. By Jesse Wood • Photos by Ken Ketchie
Feb. 20, 2015. Historic low temperatures caused members of Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation to set a peak high record for electricity demand due to heating needs. Early Friday, the cooperative’s nearly 74,000 members used 383 megawatts of electricity, which is over 10 percent higher than normal.