The weather data recorded at the official US Weather Service reporting station located next to Grandfather Mountain’s Mile High Swinging Bridge broke two daily high temperature records during the month of January.
A warm spell broke records on Jan. 7 and 8. The temperature reached 52 degrees on Jan. 7 breaking the previous record of 49 degrees for that day set in 1989. A temperature reading of 57 degrees broke the previous record of 54 degrees set for Jan. 8, 1965.
The rest of the month’s temperatures were fairly normal. The average high temperature of 36.3 degrees was .84 degrees warmer than normal for Jan., and the average low temperature of 19.67 was .26 degrees below normal for this time of year.
The lowest temperature recorded during the month was minus four degrees on Jan. 20. The lowest temperature ever recorded at Grandfather during the month of Jan. was minus 32 degrees on Jan. 21, 1985.
The rainfall total of 1.84 inches for the past month was 2.63 inches, or 59 percent below the 52-year average rainfall total for January 21, 1985.
The snowfall total for the month was 9.0 inches, falling 4.71 inches, or 34 percent, short of the 52-year average snowfall total for January of 13.71 inches.