July 2026 saw fairly standard conditions for the month on Grandfather Mountain, according to data recorded at the park’s official weather reporting stations, though one temperature record was tied and two were broken.
The average high temperature for July 2026 was 69.06 degrees Fahrenheit, with an average low of 60.23 degrees and a mean of 64.65 degrees. The average low of 60.23 degrees ties the record for the highest average low for July, originally set in 1993. The 70-year averages for July temperatures at Grandfather Mountain include an average high temperature of 69.7 degrees, an average low temperature of 57 degrees and a mean of 63.3 degrees.
The warmest temperature recorded last month was 81.1 degrees on July 2. This broke the daily high temperature record for that day of 77 degrees, recorded in 1968. The next day, a reading of 78.6 degrees broke the daily high temperature record for July 3. The previous record for that day was 77 degrees, recorded in 2000. Grandfather’s record high temperature for July is 83.2 degrees, observed July 1, 2012. This reading is also the highest temperature ever recorded in Grandfather’s 70 years as a weather reporting station.
July 30 saw the coldest temperature recorded last month with 51.8 degrees. The lowest temperature ever observed on Grandfather Mountain in the month of July is 41 degrees on July 27, 1962.
The weather station on the Mile High Swinging Bridge noted zero days in July with a wind gust higher than 60 mph. On July 29, the weather station at the top recorded the month’s highest wind gust of 50.5 mph, while the month’s highest recorded sustained wind speed clocked in at 34.9 mph on July 28. The highest gust ever recorded on Grandfather Mountain was 124 mph, observed Feb. 25, 2019.
The weather station near the Swinging Bridge reported 7.04 inches of precipitation in July 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 7.01 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 July was recorded in 2013, when 23.91 inches were observed near the bridge. The driest July on record was observed in 1977, when 1.74 inches were measured at the top.
There were 19 days of at least trace amounts of recorded liquid precipitation (rain and the liquid equivalent of frozen precipitation, when applicable) for July 2026. The day last month with the highest amount of this precipitation observed was July 13, when 1.85 inches were recorded at the top. The day with the highest amount of precipitation observed on record for July is July 4, 1989, when the weather station noted 6.25 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.