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Winds gusted to at least 200 mph early Wednesday morning, January 25, at the U.S. Weather Service reporting station atop Grandfather Mountain, breaking the record for the highest wind ever at Grandfather of 195.5 mph set on April 18, 1997.
The upper limit on Grandfather�s anemometer is 200 mph, but the needle on the gauge actually went beyond its limit, leading the Mountain�s weather observers to speculate that the wind speeds exceeded 200 mph. The highest wind speed ever recorded in the Eastern US was 231 mph at Mount Washington, NH on April 12, 1934. Grandfather�s summit Visitors Center suffered extensive damage when the wind blew out three double-strength, steel-wire-reinforced windows; ripped up floor tiles; blew open a locked door; tore a wooden mantel off a wall; and upended a 300-pound boulder that was cemented into the parking area. Metal frames from two of the windows were also ripped from the wall and found more than 200 yards away. The Mile High Swinging Bridge appears to have survived the windstorm without damage. The bridge is anchored by two large cables and stabilized by 42 support cables. Grandfather Mountain is open year-round, and is an exhilarating experience any time of year. The entrance to Grandfather Mountain is located on US 221, two miles north of Linville, North Carolina, and one mile south of the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 305. The weather is �predictably unpredictable,� and is likely to be cooler and windier than the surrounding area. Fall hours are 8AM-6PM daily; winter hours are 8AM-5PM daily.
For more information on the 49 years of weather data from Grandfather Mountain, see the interactive weather database at www.grandfather.com. (Images provided by Grandfather Mountain.)
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