May 2022 saw average weather – and at least trace amounts of rain on most days – on Grandfather Mountain, according to data recorded at the park’s official weather reporting stations.
The average high temperature for May 2022 was 61.8°, with an average low of 48.9° and a mean of 54.5°.
The warmest temperature recorded last month was 72.7° on May 20, just over 5 degrees shy of the mountain’s record May high of 78°, observed May 19, 1996.
Generally, May sees spring-like weather conditions arrive on Grandfather Mountain, though some chilly temperatures can still persist. May 9 saw the coldest temperature recorded last month with 34.2°. The lowest temperature ever observed on Grandfather Mountain in the month of May (not counting wind chill) was 15° on May 6, 1957.
The weather station near the Swinging Bridge reported 10.01 inches of precipitation in May 2022, while observations recorded near the park’s Nature Museum saw 11.10 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 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 recorded.
The park counted 24 total days of precipitation for May 2022, one day short of the record 25 days in 2009. The rainiest day last month was May 24, when 2.99 inches were recorded at the top. The rainiest day on record for May was May 28, 1973, when the weather station observed 4.67 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.
For more information on weather at Grandfather Mountain, visit www.grandfather.com/weather.