Hurricane season is five months away, but Grandfather Mountain has recorded winds that reached the equivalent of a Category 3 storm and set a record in the process.
Mountain officials posted to social media that winds reached 121.3 mph at approximately 4 a.m. Wednesday.
The previous record of 120.7 mph was set on Dec. 21, 2012.
Officials said that at 7 a.m., wind gusts were reaching in excess of 100 mph.
“We were really surprised by the high winds overnight,” said Jesse Pope, president and executive director of the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, the nonprofit organization that owns and operates the park.
“We exceeded our all-time record, and, fortunately, sustained no damage to the park.”