May 2026 saw fairly standard conditions for the month on Grandfather Mountain, according to data recorded at the park’s official weather reporting stations.
The average high temperature for May 2026 was 59.65 degrees Fahrenheit, with an average low of 46.49 degrees and a mean of 53.07 degrees. The 70-year averages for May temperatures at Grandfather Mountain include an average high temperature of 60.7 degrees, an average low temperatures of 45.8 degrees and a mean of 53.3 degrees.
The warmest temperature recorded last month was 72.3 degrees on May 20. Grandfather’s record high temperature for May is 78 degrees, observed May 19, 1996.
May 3 saw the coldest temperature recorded last month with 25.9 degrees. The lowest temperature ever observed on Grandfather Mountain in the month of May is 15 degrees on May 6, 1957.
The weather station on the Mile High Swinging Bridge noted zero days in May with a wind gust higher than 60 mph. On May 14, the weather station at the top recorded a wind gust of 51.8 mph, while the month’s highest recorded sustained wind speed clocked in at 39.9 mph 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 4.24 inches of precipitation in May 2026. Precipitation at the top of the mountain includes rain and the liquid equivalent of any frozen precipitation (when applicable). Due to wind, snow depth is not recorded at the top.
Observations recorded near the park’s Wilson Center for Nature Discovery totaled 5.32 inches of precipitation. 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 May was recorded in 2018, when 19.70 inches were observed near the bridge. The driest May on record was observed in 2007, when 1.43 inches were measured at the top.
There were 11 days of at least trace amounts of recorded liquid precipitation (rain and the liquid equivalent of frozen precipitation, when applicable) for May 2026. The day last month with the highest amount of this precipitation observed was May 25, when 1.12 inches were recorded at the top. The day with the highest amount of precipitation observed on record for May was May 13, 2025, when the weather station noted 4.71 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 1956 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.