August 2025 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 August 2025 was 62.45 degrees Fahrenheit, with an average low of 54.72 degrees and a mean of 58.59 degrees. The 69-year average high temperature for the mountain is 68.49 degrees, the 69-year average low temperature is 56.06 degrees and the historic average mean is 62.25 degrees.
The warmest temperature recorded was 73.9 degrees on Aug. 1, just over nine degrees shy of the mountain’s record August high of 83 degrees, observed Aug. 22, 1983.
Generally, August sees summertime weather conditions on Grandfather Mountain, with slightly cooler fall-like temperatures starting to arrive. Aug. 27 saw the coldest temperature recorded with 44.8 degrees. The lowest temperature ever observed on Grandfather Mountain in the month of August (not counting wind chill) was 36 degrees on Aug. 29, 1986.
The weather station on the Mile High Swinging Bridge did not note any days in August with a wind gust higher than 60 mph. The highest gust ever recorded on Grandfather Mountain was 124 mph, observed Feb. 25, 2019.
The weather station near the Swinging Bridge reported 6.28 inches of precipitation in August 2025. Precipitation at the top of the mountain includes rain and the liquid equivalent of any frozen precipitation (when applicable).
Observations recorded near the park’s Wilson Center for Nature Discovery totaled 7.93 inches of precipitation for the month. 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 August was recorded in 2008, when 12.47 inches were observed near the bridge. The driest August on record was observed in 1956, when 0.81 inches were measured at the top.
There were 25 days of at least trace amounts of recorded liquid precipitation (rain and the liquid equivalent of frozen precipitation, when applicable) for August 2025. The record number of days for the month of August is 29 days, observed in 2020.
The day last month with the highest amount of this precipitation observed was Aug. 19, when 1.39 inches were recorded at the top. The day with the highest amount of precipitation observed on record for August was Aug. 27, 2008, when the weather station noted 8.50 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 1955 by reporting weather data from locations near the Mile High Swinging Bridge and the Nature Museum (now the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery).
- In the 69 years of weather collection at Grandfather Mountain, instrument locations for the Top Shop and Swinging Bridge area have moved around slightly as technology and understanding of what makes the best location for reporting have improved.
For more information on weather at Grandfather Mountain, visit www.grandfather.com/weather.