March 6, 2008 issue
February at Grandfather Mountain Brings Warm and Dry Weather
The weather data from the month of February recorded at the official US Weather Service reporting station located next to Grandfather Mountain’s Mile High Swinging Bridge shows temperatures charting higher than normal and rainfall coming up short.
The average high temperature of 42.56 degrees was 4.99 degrees warmer than normal for February, and the average low temperature of 25.41 degrees was 3.55 degrees above normal for this time of year.
A daily high temperature record was broken February 5 when 56 degrees was recorded. The previous record high for that day was 53 degrees set in 1986.
A temperature reading of four degrees broke the daily low temperature record for February 28. The previous low record for that day was 12 degrees set in 1977.
The rainfall total of 4.06 inches for the past month was 0.69 inches, or 15 percent, below the 52-year average rainfall total for February of 4.75 inches. Rain for the year to date totals 5.9 inches, 3.32 inches (or 36 percent) below the 52-year norm for this time of year.
The snowfall total for the month was 7.9 inches, falling 42 percent short of the 52-year average snowfall total for February of 13.65 inches. Grandfather Mountain has had 22.71 inches of snow for the winter to date compared to the norm of 40.31 inches for this point in the season.
Wind gusts recorded by the new anemometer located on the Mile High Swinging Bridge at Grandfather Mountain broke 100 mph for the first time on Sunday, February 10.
The highest three-second gust measured by the anemometer clocked in at 107 mph at 4:42 p.m. The highest five-second gust measured was 103 mph.
“One hundred miles per hour is significant symbolically since this is the first time we have hit three digits since the new system went in place,” said Grandfather Mountain President Crae Morton. “Really though the sustained winds to me are more impressive.”
Between the time period of 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Sunday night, the winds measured by the anemometer were sustained at 80 to 90 mph.
Grandfather Mountain installed this new anemometer February 15, 2007 on the Mile High Swinging Bridge in response to claims by the experts that the winds speeds measured by the wind sensor on top of the Top Shop building were inflated.
For more information on the 52 years of weather data from Grandfather Mountain, see the interactive weather database at www.grandfather.com.
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