Grandfather Mountain is a rugged place known for its wild and fast-changing weather. With a few records matched or broken in 2025, the year also experienced some other noteworthy observations according to data collected at the nature park’s official weather reporting stations near the Mile High Swinging Bridge and Wilson Center for Nature Discovery.
Some notable 2025 weather observations, and how they compare to Grandfather’s 70 years of recorded data, are included below.
- Cold January: The average high temperature for January 2025 was 26.32 degrees Fahrenheit (the second-lowest on record), with an average low of 12.93 degrees (the sixth-lowest on record) and a mean of 19.63 degrees (the third-lowest on record).
- Dry March: The weather station near the Swinging Bridge reported 2.67 inches of precipitation in March 2025, the eighth lowest monthly March total in Grandfather’s history of recording weather. In addition, ten days of rain for the month is the third lowest number for March days with precipitation. A total of ten days of precipitation also occurred in 1968 and 2007. The record lowest for the month is three days in 2013.
- Wet May: The weather station near the Swinging Bridge reported 11.15 inches of precipitation in May 2025, the fourth-highest total for this month on record. Precipitation at the top of the mountain includes rain and the liquid equivalent of any frozen precipitation (when applicable).
- NEW RECORD: In May, the day with the highest amount of precipitation observed was May 13, when 4.71 inches were recorded at the top. This amount is a new record, surpassing the former total for the most rain in one day in May of 4.67 inches, measured on May 28, 1973.
- RECORD TIED: July 2025 tied a record for the number of days of precipitation on Grandfather Mountain. There were 26 days of at least trace amounts of recorded liquid precipitation (rain and the liquid equivalent of frozen precipitation, when applicable) for July 2025, tying the record originally set in 1982.
- Dry November: The weather station near the Swinging Bridge reported 1.74 inches of precipitation in November 2025. Precipitation at the top of the mountain includes rain and the liquid equivalent of any frozen precipitation (when applicable). This total ties the 2021 precipitation amount for the eighth driest November at Grandfather on record. The driest November on record was observed in 2007, when 1.06 inches were measured at the top.
- NEW RECORD: 11 saw the coldest temperature recorded for the month with 7.5 degrees, breaking the daily low record for that day. The previous record for Nov. 11 was 11 degrees, recorded in 1973.
- NEW RECORD: 14 saw the coldest temperature recorded for the month with minus 2.4 degrees, breaking the daily low record for that day. The previous record for Dec. 14 was minus 1 degree, recorded in 1958.
Precipitation
The station at the Swinging Bridge observed 55.12 inches of rain for the year over 222 days. The mountain’s 70-year averages for annual precipitation are 64.07 inches of rain and 183.03 days of precipitation. The standing record for the most rain in one year is 110.67 inches in 2018, and the most days of precipitation in a year at Grandfather is 242 days of precipitation, recorded in 2020.
The rainiest month in 2025 was May, when 11.15 inches were recorded over 23 days. The driest month of 2025 was January, with only 1.62 inches – the third-lowest total on record for this month – observed over 12 days of precipitation (including trace amounts).
July 2025 saw at least trace amounts of rain on 26 days, tying the record originally set for the month in 1982. In June, there were 22 days of at least trace amounts of recorded liquid precipitation (rain and the liquid equivalent of frozen precipitation, when applicable). The record number of days for the month of June is 23 days, observed in 1994, 1995 and 1997. Twenty-two days of precipitation were also recorded in 1976 and 2023.
May was also wet with the weather station near the Swinging Bridge reporting 11.15 inches of precipitation in May 2025, the fourth-highest total for this month on record.
Grandfather Mountain reported 28.7 inches of snow in 2025, as observed at the park’s Wilson Center. Snow accumulation is measured at this lower location, as high winds can make it difficult to record accurate observations at the top.
The mountain’s snowiest year on record remains 1996, when the park observed 116.7 inches of accumulation.
Wind
Grandfather Mountain recorded no sustained wind speeds or gusts higher than 100 mph in 2025, although it came closest in December, when a gust of 94 mph was recorded at the Swinging Bridge.
Meanwhile, winds gusted higher than 60 mph on 79 days in 2025.
The record wind speed at that location, since a National Weather Service-approved anemometer was installed in February 2007, remains a gust of 124 mph, recorded Feb. 25, 2019.
Temperatures
Known for its temperature swings, Grandfather Mountain experienced temperatures ranging from minus 4.4 degrees to 77.2 degrees Fahrenheit in 2025. The mountain’s warmest day in 2025 was recorded on June 24, when the temperature hit 77.2 degrees. The park’s coldest day was Jan. 20, when the temperature dipped to a low of minus 4.4 degrees. Windchill data wasn’t recorded for January due to an issue with the anemometer, but 31 total days with a windchill below zero were recorded in 2025 during the months of February, March, November and December.
The average high temperature for January 2025 was 26.32 degrees Fahrenheit (the second-lowest on record), with an average low of 12.93 degrees (the sixth-lowest on record) and a mean of 19.63 degrees (the third-lowest on record).
Two daily low temperature records were broken in 2025. Nov. 11 saw the coldest temperature recorded for the month with 7.5 degrees, breaking the daily low record for that day. The previous record for Nov. 11 was 11 degrees, recorded in 1973. Dec. 14 saw the coldest temperature recorded for the month with minus 2.4 degrees, breaking the daily low record for that day. The previous record for Dec. 14 was minus 1 degree, recorded in 1958.
The average high temperature for the year was 51.81 degrees, the average low was 39.86 degrees and the average mean for the year was 45.84 degrees. For Grandfather’s 70 years of weather reporting, the average high is 52.92 degrees, the average low is 35.58 degrees and the average mean is 45.85 degrees.
Grandfather’s warmest days on record saw the thermometer reach 83 degrees in August 1983, July 2005 and July 2010, while the mountain’s record low remains minus 32 degrees from January 1985.
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 70 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.