Weather Data From New Instruments Contributing To Improved Forecasts

On June 1, the weather instruments erected on the Mile High Swinging Bridge this winter become Grandfather Mountain’s official station for reports to the United States Weather Service. Although Grandfather’s readings have always been of interest to the Weather Service, the availability of indisputably accurate wind measurements has climatologists enthusiastic over the contribution these data can make to their forecasting models.

Grandfather Mountain has been an official US Weather Service Reporting Station providing daily weather observations since August of 1955. However, for many years the Weather Service did not use Grandfather’s wind readings in forecast models because their meteorologists felt that the location of Grandfather’s wind gauge generated less-than-accurate readings.

By installing a new instrument in a location selected by the Weather Service to gather accurate data, Grandfather now reports wind data that the Weather Service wants to use. A bonus for the Weather Service is that the updated equipment reports automatically (even on days when people can not reach the summit), it has an ice-proof anemometer, and it has a thermometer with a humidity sensor. State Climatologist Ryan Boyles explained the implications for the larger meteorological community.

“The National Weather Service will start using these data to calculate better forecasts,” said Boyles. “With better data we can make better warnings, and that saves lives and saves property.”

He says having an authoritative reporting station atop Grandfather Mountain will help the Weather Service do a better job for residents of the High Country.

“All the different micro-climates in this part of the state have an impact on agriculture, construction and many other industries,” said Boyles. “Conditions can be very different on the mountain tops compared to in the valleys, and the more information we can collect along the way, the better we will be able to understand and plan for those variations.”

Boyles is still cross-checking some records, but he has few doubts that Grandfather has the most extreme weather in North Carolina. “We are a very climate sensitive state and the more information we can gather the more we can reduce our vulnerability,” he said.

Data from the new instruments will be available in the “Current Weather Conditions” area of Grandfather Mountain’s web site sometime early in the month of June.

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