Next week's GSMNP weather on the AT

[Buffalo Skipper]

We're in the final push for our AT section, and are trying to figure out the weather forecasts. Nearest I can find are Gatlinburg, Bryson City and Cheoah Ranger Station (Robbinsville), with the ten-day forecasts showing Sunday night lows at 42°, 39° and 41° respectively.
All 3 of these towns sit at about 1700', but we will be starting at the top, with campsites at 5460', 4900' and 3680' beginning Sunday.

How much colder should we expect on the ridge at 5400' on the overnight?

Any other weather advice is welcome from those of you more familiar with the area than I.

[Ewker]

http://www.sophiaknows.com/atdb/weather.php

click on the shelter or Clingmans Dome. It has a 5-7 day forecast

[Gray Blazer]

http://www.sophiaknows.com/atdb/weather.php

click on the shelter or Clingmans Dome. It has a 5-7 day forecast

Thanks, Ewker. I just added that to my faves.

[max patch]

http://www.sophiaknows.com/atdb/weather.php

Wow, I just checked Katahdin. Todays hi-lo is 56-62. Tomorrows is 30-57.

[Buffalo Skipper]

http://www.sophiaknows.com/atdb/weather.php

click on the shelter or Clingmans Dome. It has a 5-7 day forecast

Thanks for the site, my friend. I have pinned it to my favorites.

Pardon my skepticism, but I am not yet convinced the attached weather forecast is accurate. I clicked on link, followed by Silers Bald, where we are staying our first night <Smokies, not the one further south> and the the NOAA forecast, which has Sunday with a low of 38°. The current forecast for Bryson City has same night at 39°. I find it hard to accept that the temperature difference from 1700' to 5400' is 1°F.

But this is still 5 days out. I will be patient and keep a close eye on it.

[HooKooDooKu]

For ideas on temperature differences between the valleys and the moutains, I use this site alot: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/productview.php?pil=mrxrtpmrx

I then try to keep in mind the rule-of-thumb that says air temperature drops about 1F for every 200' elevation gain. It's about 4000' difference between the valleys (Gatlinburg) and the moutain tops (Clingman's Dome), so there can be as much as a 20F temperature difference.

However, I recently was keeping an eye out on the weather for Mt. LeConte for a trip we did this past weekend. It seems that in general, the moutains have been about 10F cooler than the valleys.

[Gray Blazer]

I used to check the weather for Franklin, NC or Damascus, VA and subtract 10 degrees. On the Weather Channel they have the weather for the Roan MT park thats about halfway up Roan. Another high altitude place in the south on WC is Whitetop, VA.

[Duramax22]

http://www.outragegis.com/weather/grsm/ by far the most accurate been using it for quite some time for the smokies. They also show archived weather so you can see what it "actually" was yesterday compared to there prediction.