Data recorded at the official National Weather Service reporting station at Grandfather Mountain’s Mile High Swinging Bridge indicated a rainy August at the Linville, N.C., nature park.

The warmest day recorded in August 2021 was 81° Fahrenheit on Aug. 29 — only two degrees shy of the mountain’s record high of 83°, recorded on multiple dates, including Aug. 22, 1983.

The lowest temperature observed in August 2021 was 49° on Aug. 4. The lowest temperature ever observed on Grandfather Mountain in the month of August was 36° on Aug. 29, 1986.

The average high temperature for August 2021 was 73.4°, with an average low of 58.4°, for a mean of 65.9°.

On Aug. 17, the station recorded a wind gust of 66.7 mph, while the highest sustained wind speed clocked in at 52.8 mph, also on Aug. 17.

The station reported 9.7 inches of precipitation in August, while observations recorded near the park’s nature museum saw 13.33 inches. 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 at the Top Shop. The driest August on record was in 1956, when a meager .81 of an inch was measured at the top.

The park counted 20 total days of precipitation for August 2021, compared to the park’s record high of 27 days in 1996. The rainiest day on record was Aug. 27, 2008, when the station observed 8.5 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 daily temperature, precipitation and weather events from locations near the Mile High Swinging Bridge and the Nature Museum.

For more information on weather at Grandfather Mountain, visit http://bit.ly/gfmweather.

The nonprofit Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation strives to inspire conservation of the natural world by helping guests explore, understand and value the wonders of Grandfather Mountain. For more information, call 800-468-7325, or click here to book your visit.

Grandfather Mountain | Home to the Swinging Bridge, Animal Habitats and Nature Museum

GPS: 2050 Blowing Rock Highway, Linville, NC 28646
Mailing: PO Box 129, Linville, NC 28646
1-800-468-7325

Owned & operated by Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation.
Go here for Grandfather Mountain State Park information.
Member of Southern Highlands Attractions