- A year after Texas’ largest wildfire, Panhandle residents tugged between hope and anxiety
- Another $500M for Hurricane Helene relief in North Carolina passes key hurdle
- Crews battle wildfire in McDowell County, NC
- Wildfire in McDowell County, NC is 20% contained, officials say
- California governor asks Congress for nearly $40 billion for Los Angeles wildfire relief
Grandfather Mountain experiences hurricane-force winds, sets new wind speed record
Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina — A wind speed record was set this week at Grandfather Mountain after the area experienced hurricane-force winds, WXII reported.
The park’s weather recording station at the Mile High Swinging Bridge registered a three-second gust of 124 mph at around midnight Monday, breaking the previous record of 121.3 mph, recorded on Feb. 13.
In addition, at around 2 a.m., the station detected a gust of 122.3 mph.
In all, starting late Sunday evening, the mountain saw 16 consecutive hours with gusts higher than 100 mph. In comparison, Mount Mitchell’s highest three-second gust during the same time frame came in at 68.3 mph, according to data from the North Carolina Climate Office.