92-mph wind gusts lash popular NC tourist spot. See video from Grandfather Mountain
Powerful winds swept across a North Carolina mountain, lashing plants and blowing snow into the air.
Video taken on Wednesday at Grandfather Mountain, a popular tourist spot, shows gusts swaying tree branches along an overlook. In the footage, wind can be heard ripping through the snow-covered site.
“BRB, inaugurating my face into 110+ mph winds,” Twitter user Billy Bowling wrote in a post that was distributed by Storyful.
While recorded wind gusts weren’t that strong, they did pack a punch.
N.C. Climate Office data show gusts at Grandfather Mountain reached 92.9 mph on Wednesday. That morning, National Weather Service forecasters said some mountain areas were off to a “very gusty start.”
It isn’t the first time strong winds battered Grandfather Mountain.
In February 2019, another area near the swinging bridge, a popular stop among tourists, saw a record 121.3-mph wind gust — similar to the strength of a Category 3 hurricane, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Grandfather Mountain is roughly 70 miles northeast of Asheville.
Also in Western North Carolina, another scenic spot known for high winds marked a frigid anniversary on Thursday.
Mount Mitchell — the highest point in the eastern United States — dipped to 34 degrees below zero on Jan. 21, 1985. That’s the lowest temperature on record in North Carolina.
This story was originally published January 21, 2021 at 3:10 PM with the headline "92-mph wind gusts lash popular NC tourist spot. See video from Grandfather Mountain."
