It’s been a wet and windy start to this Thursday. The high peaks of the Smokies saw every bit of the predicted roaring wind speeds, gusts reaching as much as 80mph in some places. The High Wind Warning that was in effect has since expired, but gusty conditions will remain prevalent today and into Friday. Plenty of rain poured during the night, and it appears there will be a brief break in the action this afternoon before another round strikes tonight and early tomorrow. At this time, US 441 (Newfound Gap Rd) remains temporarily closed due to the hazardous conditions, so hikers looking to scale Mt. LeConte will need to do so from trailheads along Cherokee Orchard Rd or Roaring Fork. These strong winds have been mostly coming up from the south, so hopefully those accessible trails on the mountain’s north side will be sheltered from the worst of the weather’s wrath today. Temps will be in the 30s and 40s until we step into the weekend, at which point sunnier skies and slightly warmer temps make their return. Another great opportunity for late autumn visitors and weekend warriors to tackle the mountain as the 2024 season winds down.
Have a great day.
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