LINVILLE, North Carolina — On Grandfather Mountain, breaking records is a breeze.
Around 4 a.m. on Feb. 13, the nonprofit nature park’s weather recording station at the Mile High Swinging Bridge registered a three-second gust of 121.3 miles per hour.
This beats the mountain’s previous record of 120.7 mph, recorded Dec. 21, 2012.
Sustained wind speeds reached 86.3 mph during that same 4 a.m. window on Feb. 13, and gusts continued to exceed 100 mph throughout the morning.
“We were really surprised by the high winds overnight,” said Jesse Pope, president and executive director of the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, the nonprofit organization that owns and operates the park. “We exceeded our all-time record, and, fortunately, sustained no damage to the park.”
In comparison, Mt. Mitchell recorded a gust of 77.6 mph during the same timeframe, according to data from the N.C. Climate Office.
