re:southern applachian spring weather

[DavidNH]

Hi,

I have heard from several folks that one can have anything from sunny and 60's to teens and snow even in April in higher elevations of the smokies.

Well..here in Concord, NH (not much above sea level) the temperature is in the low 30's or so today..I think the first time all week we are above freezing.

I found a website that gives recent temperatures for the Smokies.
Its at www.hikingthecarolinas.com The website indicates that at 9 am March 2, 2006 the temperature at 6,400 feet on Mt. Leconte was 51 degrees and low elevations were in the low 70's!

I will guess that at 9 am Concord, NH had temps in the teens or so.

So in otherwords..at 6400 feet up in the smokies it was a good 40 degrees warmer than at near sea level in interior southern New Hampshire.

Sounds great to me...but I can't help but imagine that this would be getting off too easy. If its 51 degrees high up in the smokies in early march.. probably 60 or so in the Georgia mountains.. and the third week in march it should be warmer still shouldn't it?

Man I sure would love to hike through Georgia with temps in the 60's to near 70 and sunshine in the third week in March. Heck I don't ever remember hiking in such warmth so early in the spring!!!!

David

[ed bell]

Hi,

The website indicates that at 9 am March 2, 2006 the temperature at 6,400 feet on Mt. Leconte was 51 degrees and low elevations were in the low 70's!

David

David, I believe the reading of 51 deg F is the high temp for the previous 24 hour period, not a current temperature. Nevertheless, this is quite high for March 2nd. Its been downright warm in the Southeast these past few days, but cold air is moving back in.

[Marta]

We had the A/C on at work yesterday and today. I'm sitting here in front of the computer at home with the window wide open, and I'm wearing shorts. The daffodils in the yard are a merry yellow and trees are covered with flowers all over town. Yeah, spring down here bears no resemblence to that pitiful, chilly, muddy season you call spring up north.

That said, it can definitely get cool at night, and there will almost surely be snow in the mountains once or twice more this spring. So don't leave ALL your warm stuff back in New Hampshire.

[general]

don't let the recent warm temps fool you. there is still some winter yet to come to the georgia and north carolina mountains. most of our biggest snow and ice storms come in march.

[freefall]

don't let the recent warm temps fool you. there is still some winter yet to come to the georgia and north carolina mountains. most of our biggest snow and ice storms come in march.

And being that I start hiking from ASP on Sunday, the rain/snow/fire/brimstone/toads should start falling shortly thereafter.

[weary]

Hi,

I have heard from several folks that one can have anything from sunny and 60's to teens and snow even in April in higher elevations of the smokies.

Well..here in Concord, NH (not much above sea level) the temperature is in the low 30's or so today..I think the first time all week we are above freezing.

I found a website that gives recent temperatures for the Smokies.
Its at www.hikingthecarolinas.com The website indicates that at 9 am March 2, 2006 the temperature at 6,400 feet on Mt. Leconte was 51 degrees and low elevations were in the low 70's!

I will guess that at 9 am Concord, NH had temps in the teens or so.

So in otherwords..at 6400 feet up in the smokies it was a good 40 degrees warmer than at near sea level in interior southern New Hampshire.

Sounds great to me...but I can't help but imagine that this would be getting off too easy. If its 51 degrees high up in the smokies in early march.. probably 60 or so in the Georgia mountains.. and the third week in march it should be warmer still shouldn't it?

Man I sure would love to hike through Georgia with temps in the 60's to near 70 and sunshine in the third week in March. Heck I don't ever remember hiking in such warmth so early in the spring!!!!
David

Well, all I can say is that I arrived on the summit of Springer on the 15th of April figuring April in Georgia must be about like January in Miami. It wasn't I froze my butt. Water froze in my pot at night. Snow fell. Freezing rain blew into the shelters. Warm late winter days occur on the coast of Maine also. But every year it surely gets cold again.

And two weeks after leaving springer, I saw my first may flower. The petals were browning, exactly the date petals have been browning every May 1 in my memory of midcoast Maine.

Weary

[DavidNH]

quote=Marta]We had the A/C on at work yesterday and today. I'm sitting here in front of the computer at home with the window wide open, and I'm wearing shorts. The daffodils in the yard are a merry yellow and trees are covered with flowers all over town. Yeah, spring down here bears no resemblence to that pitiful, chilly, muddy season you call spring up north.

That said, it can definitely get cool at night, and there will almost surely be snow in the mountains once or twice more this spring. So don't leave ALL your warm stuff back in New Hampshire.[/quote]

marta.. actually the searson you refer to "pitiful chilly muddy" is what we call mud season! starts about now and goes through early May or so. By mid May what you call spring should set in..when one can have the windows wide open, see daffodils in yard etc. But better have screens on those windows.. Spring proper was long ago usurped by black fly season and that leads straight into BUG season. By the time we get some semblance of summer well.. it's mid June. Then we got about two months of hot weather followed by a couple months of fine cool wonderful weather and then things go down hill again.

Gee... Startin' to think that North Carolina wouldn't be a bad place to live!!

[ed bell]

And two weeks after leaving springer, I saw my first may flower. The petals were browning, exactly the date petals have been browning every May 1 in my memory of midcoast Maine.

Weary

The progression of spring wildflowers here in the Southeast is truly amazing. I can venture out between mid-Feb through May and see all sorts at all different elevations. Mild winters definitely enhance this. My house is at around 950 ft. and I live about 70 miles from the highest point east of SD. Nice choices for spring wildflowers abound.

[Scaper]

The Smokies are famous for getting very large snow storms in April and May at elevations over 5000 feet. I believe it was 1992 in the smokies the first week in May had over 60 inches of snow. Scaper..

[Heater]

We had the A/C on at work yesterday and today. I'm sitting here in front of the computer at home with the window wide open, and I'm wearing shorts. The daffodils in the yard are a merry yellow and trees are covered with flowers all over town. Yeah, spring down here bears no resemblence to that pitiful, chilly, muddy season you call spring up north.

That said, it can definitely get cool at night, and there will almost surely be snow in the mountains once or twice more this spring. So don't leave ALL your warm stuff back in New Hampshire.

High of 81 and low of 57 here in Austin. Blue skys and light breeze. Perfect weather.

[The Hog]

I started my thru hike on April 16th on top of Springer. I, too, hoped for sunny days in the 60's. Instead, it rained 12 of the first 14 days I was on the Trail. And it wasn't just rain. It was rain mixed with sleet, drenching rain (with lightning at times) with temperatures hovering just above freezing, and a raw fog hanging in the air. At times, throw in a gale force wind. I don't care what kind of raingear anybody carried. Everyone was a freezing cold, drowned rat. Most of the sane people left the Trail. The rest of us continued on... But there's a silver lining.

Forrest Gump's Mom said, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get." Well, in this case, the box is sometimes frozen, sometimes it's full of icy cold water, and the chocolates are ramen and oatmeal flavored. But I'll tell you, eating some of the worst that the Trail can dish out makes those sunny days in the 60's, which eventually do come, sweet beyond all reckoning.