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. Also, more
rain falls on and around the mountains than anywhere else in Georgia. The mountain receives between 10 and 20 inches
more moisture than the state's normal rainfall. 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 as 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. The winter of 2010 gave the mountains the coldest temperatures,
of a continuous nature, than in many years. The coldest temp of 2010 was -3 DF. Total snowfall for
2010 was 12 inches.
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, Confederate States of America History and interviews with other knowledgeable residents
of our mountains. Data on this website is free to use unless otherwise stipulated. Also, some data displayed on
NEGAWX website is via shared data and images between negawx.com and other web owners. Charts and images that are
of negawx.com origin are identified and may be freely used. 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.
