Photo by Jesse Pope | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation
Lighting strikes over Lost Cove Cliffs during a recent storm, as seen from Grandfather Mountain.
Grandfather Mountain recorded 15.94 inches of rain last month at its National Weather Service reporting station, making it the wettest place in North Carolina. Grandfather’s average June rainfall is 6.06 inches, making June 2019 the wettest on record. The previous June rainfall record was 15.77 inches in 1957.
“We received over a foot of rain in a four-day period,” said Amy Renfranz, director of education for the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, the nonprofit organization that owns and operates the Linville nature park.
The park’s weather station, located near the Mile High Swinging Bridge, indicates that most of the rain fell between June 7 and 10, during which Grandfather received 12.96 inches.
According to Corey Davis of the N.C. State Climate Office, the rainfall made Grandfather Mountain the wettest spot in the entire state of North Carolina for the month of June.
“Including last year’s data, which just knocked us out of the park, our average annual rainfall for the whole year is 62.79 inches,” Renfranz said.
2018 was Grandfather Mountain’s wettest year on record, with the station having recorded 110.67 inches.
In contrast, the mountain received the least amount of rain in 1963, with just 41.77 inches.
To learn more about Grandfather Mountain’s unique weather and its history, visit http://bit.ly/gfm-weather.
The not-for-profit 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 visit www.grandfather.com to plan a trip.