Originally Posted by
Shutter
Shutter here, creator of Appalachian Trail Weather
Thanks for the shout out Lefty. I was sent an e-mail about my app from this thread. It's actually good to meet you, I've seen your website quite a bit, needless to say, I like it.
Harrison has a real concern though, the weather stations in town could be thousands of feet below a ridge. For that scenario I went though and calculated the lapse rate between the altitude of the weather station and the altitude of the shelter I use as a reference point. It's really not that much of an issue except for the Smokeys and the White Mountains where a 4000 ft difference can yield a 15 degree change. If it's 40 degrees at the weather station, but 25 up on the ridge, you've got a problem on your hands!
Weather is definitely a factor on the A.T. Make sure you all make smart decisions and look out for other hikers. You're going to hike rain or shine, my app and Lefty's website will just help you make a decision to do big miles while the weather is good or take a much justified zero if the weather is crap.
-Shutter