Welcome to the Northeast Georgia Mountain Weather Center. Seventy-five percent of the weather
data you will find on this site is monitored and prepared here in Union County, Georgia and while the weather is being logged,
the scene above is what we see from our studio window. Union and Towns County share the home of the highest point in
the State of Georgia, Brasstown Bald Mountain.
Long ago, there was a Cherokee community that was located
up on a mountain and the name of the settlement, to the Cherokee, was Brasstown. The community was at the head waters
of Brasstown Creek. The Brasstown Creek flows right in front to the Northeast Georgia Mountain Weather Center.
The Brasstown Creek tributary flowing on our property falls approximately 60 feet into the Brasstown Creek. The sound
of the water falling is very relaxing and many varieties of birds also enjoy this beautiful and peaceful spot. The Brasstown
Creek continues to flow into North Carolina and a small community, not far from the Georgia State border, is Brasstown, North
Carolina. From the Weather Center to the community of Brasstown, the Brasstown Creek falls 335 feet and is at 1611
feet above sea level.
Brasstown Bald offers the only
"Cloud Forest" in the State of Georgia. This unique forest was formed by the constant moisture that is available
and when we say clouds, that is exactly what floats around the mountain nearly every day of the year. ( See the above
picture of the clouds blanketing the mountains. ) Also, more rain falls on and around the mountain than anywhere else
in Georgia. The mountain receives between 10 and 20 inches more of moisture than the state normal. When exploring
the "Wolfpen Ridge" ( this is the ridge that Brasstown Bald, Blood Mountain, Rabun Bald (2nd highest point
in Georgia) and Trey Mountains are part of ) you will find a diversity of plant life that is only found hundreds of miles
further north. Rhododendron bloom here as late as the month of June. The diversity of tree life includes Yellow
Birch, Ash, Sugar Maple, Silver Maple, White Pine, Spruce, Beech, Red Oak, White Oak and Willow. An interesting Cherokee
legend regarding Rabun Bald notes that fire-breathing demon people inhabit the mountain. People who camped and
hiked the mountain recall hearing strange sounds during the night.
Brasstown is listed
as a bald due to an area at the very top of the mountain with exposed smooth rock. Brasstown Bald is 4,784 feet above
sea level. Brasstown Bald is part of a chain of mountains that are one of the oldest range of mountains on
planet earth, and were the highest mountains millions of years ago. This enchanting group is the Appalachian (Blue
Ridge) Mountains also known as the Smokie Mountains. The Appalachians were towering long before the Rockies and the
Himalaya's began their track toward the sky. Near the top of Brasstown Mountain, there is a ring of rock
made up of soapstone, dunite and olivine.
Brasstown
Bald consists of a variety of igneous, metavolcanic and high-grade metamorphic rocks, including numerous intrusions of granite
and diabase ( holocrystalline, igneous rock similar to volcanic basalt. ) Marble and talc are other resources found
in the Blue Ridge region.
The metamorphic rocks were originally part of the Precambrian geological period. The
volcanic and sedimentary rocks were covered by the Atlantic Ocean that covered a large portion of Georgia. That
period began to transform from ocean to a drier environment of the early Paleozoic period. Gold was formed
when hot rocks interacted with cooler water, resulting in gold deposits that would later be found around serveral
areas of northeast Georgia. Migmatites, rocks with both metamorphic and igneous characteristics, make up most of the eastern
Blue Ridge rocks. Formations reveal very high temperatures were reached by these rocks during their
initial creation.
Just
as time takes its toll on people so did time permit the majestic Appalachian Mountain's
to erode to their present day beauty. At times, you cannot help but wonder how beautiful the Appalachians
must have been soaring higher than today's Mt. Everest (29,035 feet) multiple of millions of years ago. (As a side
note: The Himalaya's continue to grow. Each year, the sub-continent of India pile drives toward the north into Asia,
and, for that reason, the Himalayan Mountains gain approximately one-quarter of an inch in height each year. In the
life span of a human being, Mt Everest raises approximately 19.5 inches. Also, due to the extreme force pushing on the
Himalaya's, huge masses of the India Plate become caught in the Asian Plate and the sudden and abrupt release of the imprisoned
plates, very powerful earthquakes take place and kill thousands of people when the earth begins to shake.)
Small earthquakes occur in the Appalachian Mountains as there are many faults
under these mountains but nothing compared to the extreme force of plate movement and constriction in the Himalaya's.
The Weather Center is
located in the northwest Brasstown Bald Mountain Valley and the weather monitoring station is 3 miles from the northwest
base of Brasstown Bald. On this site, you will find current mountain weather data, the Brasstown Bald Mountain
Valley Weather Cam and the Intrepid Lightning Detection Station(tm). Lightning is continuously tracked within 100
miles of the lightning detector and in a separate window; lightning is monitored for 400+ miles. When
severe thunderstorms begin to threaten our immediate area, the monitor zooms in for a closer look. Area residents and
those who have interests in our area, will be able to see how close the lightning strikes are to your home.
The NW Brasstown Bald Mountain Valley is the
coldest place in Georgia. In this peaceful valley, cold temperatures found at the tops of the mountains,
slide down the northwest side. The south side of the mountains receives variable winds from the south (much warmer bundles
of air) and these winds blow up the mountains and ride over the colder air. During the night and due to the
cold air being much heavier than the warmer, air starts its trip down to replace the warmer air already in place on the
valley floor. In the fall or winter, air in the valley may be already cold but warmer than the air at the
higher elevations and the transition of the air causes the valley air to very quickly change to temperatures of 10 to
15 degrees colder than some areas that are only a few miles away from the valley. In winter, over night temps
are usually in the mid teens to the single digits. In the year of 2008, the valley experienced a
very cold November. The coldest day was 6 degrees above zero and day time highs only in the mid 20's.
The trade off is during the summer days, when it is so hot elsewhere, the valley remains in the upper 70's to
mid 80s. In the past 6 years, the valley has only reached 90 degrees a couple of times.
Also, the valley being one of the coldest spots in
Georgia, it is also a very windy spot too. Winds funnel through the coves and forces a much broader area of wind through
these coves and the amount of air movement is greatly increased. On an average, when a low pressure system is organizing
over the Midwest, it is not unusual for winds to blow steadily at 35 to 40 MPH and gusts to over 50 MPH for many hours and,
perhaps, days.
When you plan a visit to our mountains, you need to know what the weather
has in store for your trip. When you check the forecast on our web site, the forecast is for the mountains of northeast
Georgia and southwestern North Carolina and not Atlanta or Gainesville, as you may find elsewhere.
In
winter, you may come to the mountains in medium attire and within a few hours, the climate may change from
mild temperatures to extreme cold and snow (example in December of 2007 temperatures were in the mid 70's for nearly an
entire week and over night the temperature plunged to 14 degrees fharenheit). In summer, lightning storms can and occasionally
do pop up with severe weather and flash floods. For these very reasons, our motto is "Be Family Smart - Know
Before You Go(tm)" and, NEGAWX will do its best to keep our residents and visitors educated as to what Mother Nature
may throw their way. Please take note, no matter how hard we may try to keep you
informed, we make mistakes and you must not consider our weather reporting as the ultimate weather data for the protection
of life and/or property..
See an actual Noah's Ark at the botton of this page. The ark
was built by one man some help from his son.
A
short distance from our weather station is a group of sand stone rocks that have a message from Cherokee Indians who
lived in the valley many thousands of years ago. The carvings ( petroglyphs Greek word - petros = stone, glyphein
= to carve ) depict a great flood that covered the area and the people and animals fleeing the water, and according to the
carvings, boarded a great canoe that saved them from drowning. The exact translation of the petroglyphs has never been
accomplished. The canoe arrived on the top of Brasstown Bald (the top of Brasstown was known as Enotah by the Cherokee) and
the great spirit cleared an area the Cherokee used to farm until the flood waters receded. The legend has a great similarity
to the Biblical accounts of Noah and the flood.
The locations of the above noted rocks are snuggled in a gap between two mountains
and the road that runs by the carvings is appropriately named "Trackrock Gap Road." Track meaning the movement
of people and animals caught in the flood and their moving to higher ground and the rock signifies the carved message in the
stone.
Visitors
should also keep in mind various species of animals call our mountains home. Black Bear's roam the area looking
for food (estimated bear population is in the hundreds) and you never know when they may make a house, RV or tent call.
There are also accounts there are Brown Bear's in the area but I have yet to encounter one. We have a large population
of White Tail Deer as well as our smelly friends...skunks. There are many other types of beautiful animal life in our
mountains and there is no need to be overly alarmed; however, it is a good idea to know they are out there.
If you enjoy fishing, our streams and lakes are full of rainbow, and brown trout. The available fish
also includes perch; large and small mouth bass and even northern pike. When you plan to drop a hook or two or
just boat around the lakes, you will immediately notice how pristine, and beautifully clear are the lakes and streams.
The lakes are totally fed from mountain streams, creeks, springs and stay cold year round. Hiking and taking small
walks, you may visit some of the most breath taking and beautiful waterfalls in the U.S.A.
Our mountain's greatest asset
are our people. One will find the folks friendly and willing to help and provide information (how to get where you're
going and what you will see when you get there). Violent crime is almost non-existent and if some type of disturbance
does develop, our police, sheriff's department and Georgia Department of Natural Resources will nip the situation in the
bud.
There is so much
to see and do in the Northeast Georgia Mountains. So, there is no need to travel far away from home to have a
memorable vacation. The Northeast Georgia Mountain Weather Center can promise, you will not be disappointed
and on this web site, you will always know what mother nature has in store for you in her little weather bag of meteorological
tricks.
Thanks for visiting our web site and on the next
few pages, you will find a complete and accurate mountain weather forecast, current conditions, radar images, lightning
tracking maps, severe weather watches and warnings, and the latest updates on tropical storms and hurricanes. NEGAWX
sincerely looks forward to your next web visit. The door is never locked and the coffee is always fresh and hot,
so come on in and make yourself at home.
Ed Parker, Author
Young Harris, Georgia
The above data
are accounts that I personally experienced and observed. I have a love for our mountains and I try to be as accurate
as possible. Other accounts, are from my collegiate majors and knowledge of geology, American History and interviews
with other knowledgeable residents of our mountains. Students may use the data without prior permission. Anyone else,
may use the above data as long as credit is provided to the Northeast Georgia Mountain Weather Center, Young Harris, Georgia.
If you find an area that you feel may be inaccurate, please let me know. See the "Contact Us" page to write
an email with your notations. Please provide the authority why you feel an area is inaccurately depicted.
