September 2022 saw average weather on Grandfather Mountain, according to data recorded at the park’s official weather reporting stations.
The average high temperature for September 2022 was 61.1 degrees Fahrenheit, with an average low of 49.2 degrees and a mean of 54.5 degrees.
The warmest temperature recorded last month was 73.6 degrees on Sept. 21, more than 5 degrees shy of the mountain’s record September high of 79 degrees, observed Sept. 24, 2010. Generally, September sees fall weather conditions take hold on Grandfather Mountain, with cooler temperatures arriving.
Sept. 28 saw the coldest temperature recorded last month with 35.4 degrees. The lowest temperature ever observed on Grandfather Mountain in the month of September (not counting wind chill) was 24 degrees on Sept. 30, 1967.
The weather station on the Mile High Swinging Bridge noted two days in September with a wind gust higher than 60 mph. On Sept. 22, the weather station recorded a wind gust of 68 mph. On Sept. 25, a gust of 65.7 mph was logged. The highest gust ever recorded on Grandfather Mountain was 124 mph, observed Feb. 25, 2019.
The weather station near the Swinging Bridge reported 5.40 inches of precipitation in September 2022. Observations recorded near the park’s Wilson Center for Nature Discovery saw 6.43 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 September was recorded in 2004, when 32.30 inches were observed near the bridge. That year saw widespread flooding and damage across the region from Hurricanes Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. The driest September on record was observed in 2019, when 0.68 inches were recorded.
The park counted 15 total days of precipitation for September 2022. The rainiest day last month was Sept. 5, when 2.10 inches were recorded at the top. The rainiest day on record for September was Sept. 8, 2004, when the weather station observed 11.30 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).
For more information on weather at Grandfather Mountain, visit www.grandfather.com/weather.