How’s The Weather?

Old Man Winter. Jack Frost. Mr. Freeze.

With the exception of the latter, such names are synonymous with winter, creating an anthropomorphic image of that cold, white season — not only in the mind’s eye, but outside one’s front door.

That first gust of winter air in the morning can jostle the senses better than the strongest cup of coffee, with that Jack Frost fellow nipping at people’s noses.

Autumn is laying out the red, yellow and brown carpet, but that’s not to say this winter will be laden with snow, taking on that quality of picturesque snowscapes seen in Bob Timberlake paintings. Oftentimes, it can prove relatively mild.

On numerous occasions, area ski slopes have opened Thanksgiving weekend only to close a matter of weeks later because of warm temperatures. Living in the High Country, though, one knows weather can be fickle. The sky may be blue and a gentle breeze might grace the crisp air, but to paraphrase the saying, “Wait five minutes.”
Naturally, elevation is a high-ranking factor, since thinner air at higher elevations cools the environment by approximately 3.5 degrees per thousand feet. Clouds are also a player, either blocking the sun, raining or snowing — sometimes all three.

There is a system to High Country winters, and the routine passage of low-pressure systems brings bitter cold in tow, allowing Jack Frost to work his biting magic. Despite popular opinion, snow is not always abundant, as it depends on the northern jet stream. The jet stream can head west through the Rocky Mountain states, only to swing up west of the Appalachians and into eastern Canada. The result is a considerable lack of snow in the east.

During times of snow drought, ski areas bring out the big guns — snow guns, that is. While natural snow may not fall, temperatures will, creating ideal snowmaking conditions on the slopes. Though the art of snowmaking may be perfected, ski areas still smile upon natural snow.

Dry air is not always ideal for snow, and the Gulf of Mexico provides the moisture necessary for what weathermen call a “snow event” in the High Country. When the jet stream and cold move south, high pressure from the Atlantic can force moist air up to meet the dry arctic air masses. When such a low-pressure system encounters the arctic cold in the Appalachian mountains, the result is a thorough whitening of the High Country.

Fred’s General Mercantile on Beech Mountain is one to know. Sitting at approximately 5,500 feet above sea level, his store is a registered National Weather Service station, recording temperatures, humidity and precipitation.

Old Man Winter checked in early in 2005, leaving behind two inches of snow on Beech Mountain in October with an average temperature of 48.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Naturally, November proved to be cooler on both fronts, with 5.2 inches of snow recorded and an average temperature of 40.5 degrees.

In December, Fred’s recorded an average temperature of 27.3 degrees, accompanied by 10 inches of snow. January was somewhat more mild, with 8.8 inches of snow recorded with an average temperature of 34.6 degrees.

February, though, proved to be particularly brutal, with 33.9 inches of snow recorded and an average temperature of 25.7 degrees. March was another solid month, with 22 inches of snow and an average temperature of 34 degrees. This would be the 2005-06 winter’s last hurrah, as April only yielded .1 inch of snow with an average temperature of 49.2 degrees.

Story by Frank Ruggiero