Good Morning,
Rain and clouds have taken hold of the mountain this weekend. After lunch time yesterday, a mix of light and heavy rain all afternoon kept things saturated unloading a couple inches of liquid precip. More rain is expected throughout today and lingering well into the coming week. Winds across the mountain will also be picking up day by day, hour by hour. By tonight gusts could be as high as 20mph, gradually climbing to 35mph by Monday night. Temps are to remain consistent, spending much of our time in the 50s and perhaps lower 60s. Come ready for soggy hiking conditions and hold on to your hats! Have a great rest of the weekend.
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Good Morning,
The clouds are in control as we head into the weekend. Going to help keep things cool up top for the time being. Temps are in the low 50s for breakfast and we should reach the lower 60s this afternoon. Winds will be on the light side. There is a strong chance for mid afternoon showers and thunderstorms in the mountains today. The possibilities for turbulent weather appear to increase each day as we proceed into early next week, so come prepared for occasional precip. Reminder that area schools will be dismissing on the earlier side today to help relieve congestion associated with the Rod Run. And if there is sour weather in the forecast, then visitors tend to gravitate toward the outlet malls. So if sitting in traffic is not your idea of a good time, be sure to plan your routes to and from the mountain accordingly. Have a great day. Good Morning,
And so begins the last week of astronomical summer. Mind blowing to think that we are only 2-3 weeks away from when the first wave of autumn color historically begins in these mountains. Better soak up as much of that lush green as you can before it all goes away until next spring! Starting off the day capped in cloud cover, with temps in the low 50s. We hope to tap 60° this afternoon. Air movement will be light today but is expected to ramp up this evening with gusts of 20mph possible. Rain and storm chances increase for this afternoon, and seem to be in the cards now through the weekend. So plan accordingly for sunny and beautiful conditions one moment, then wet and dreary the next if you have plans to visit the mountain. As we approach the weekend, remember to consider alternate routes through and around Pigeon Forge with the final “Rod Run” of the year taking place. There will be plenty of traffic congestion in the area, combined with the maintenance closure of the Cades Cove loop road, so that could see a lot of folks all flocking to the same popular parts of the park. Have a great day. Good Morning,
Well it’s been an enjoyable run of atmospheric awesomeness, but today the bill finally comes due. Between rain bands spiraling up from Nicholas to the south, and thunderstorms firing up from the west, the mountain is in the crosshairs to see the return of sour skies this afternoon. Leading up to the action, the mountains should see plenty of cloud cover. Winds are expected to remain relatively light which is good, and temps seem to be holding steady with lows in the bottom 50s and highs in the mid 60s. This is the beginning of a new pattern in which rain chances are going to have a presence clear through the weekend, so come prepared for a wet trek at some point during one’s journey to and from the summit. It continues to look more and more like summer is on the way out around the lodge, as trees shed their first leaves and the dense floral patches brown and wilt. Soon the slopes of the Smokies will put on their annual display of vivid color. Hard to believe we’re already halfway through the month and with only ten weeks remaining in the season! Have a great day. Good Morning,
Looking like our streak of splendid late summer weather will come to an end after today. And what a good run it has been. Tuesday will see mostly sunny skies with clouds building later in the day. There is only a slight chance of a rain shower for the evening, but percentages start to pickup for liquid precip come Wednesday and beyond. Winds should be light over the mountain. Temps are in the low 50s and we should get into the mid 60s this afternoon. We’re of course keeping an eye on Hurricane Nicholas as it slowly creeps into Texas. It’s still unknown if it’ll come close to the Smokies or even have the strength to sustain over land. Right know we might endure some of it’s outermost northern bands which would only be enough rain to keep the salamanders and snails happy. Have a great day. Good Morning,
Our sunny streak continues! Moon and starlight above with distant city lights below yield to another satisfying sunrise over East Tennessee. Yesterday was perhaps our best day of the weekend for spending time outside. Temps should mimic what was enjoyed Sunday again today, starting off the day in the mid 50s and easily jumping into the mid 60s. Calm air means pleasant weather for sitting in a rocking chair and letting the relaxing sway create your own breeze while soaking in the views. Even as the coneflower and monkshood that bloomed last month brown and go to seed, there is still vivid color to be admired around the mountain. For the first time in a long time, the mountain ash trees are producing their bright red berries in a grand unified display. It took some digging through the photo archives, but the last successful summer bloom that led to a mass berry crop was way back in 2013. It seems that the extreme drought of 2016, followed by several years of surplus rainfall weren’t exactly favorable for the trees. But this year, conditions turned out just right. Should make the bears happy! Guess we’ll have to wait and see if their noses lead them to the berry buffet ripe for the picking atop Mt. LeConte! Have a great day. Good Morning,
Starting off any day with a soothing Smoky Mountain sunrise just never gets old. Got sunny skies on tap for this Sunday making for another glorious day to ramble in the woods. Temps are in the upper 40s for pancake-eating time and we should enjoy the lower 60s this afternoon. Winds, if any, will be calm across the mountain crest. Appears as though we’re lined up for a couple more days of similar conditions before any rain chances decide to return after midweek. That hopefully means easy going for folks traversing the mountain. The lodge was a beehive of activity yesterday as expected, and today should witness more of the same. The amount of daylight available these days is around 12.5 hours, with the sun setting earlier and earlier these days. With these cooler nights, hikers best not get caught out too late unprepared for the conditions, sunny or not. Always smart to know how much time you’ll need to descend the mountain safely, which means knowing when to depart the lodge with enough daylight. Havw a great day. Good Morning,
Got another sunny day on tap for the Smokies. Rolling out of bed to temps in the low 40s again but highs should reach the lower 60s today. Each of the next few days are expected to get a little warmer bit by bit. The air moving over the peaks will be a little breezy, but just enough to take the edge off the sun’s rays if basking out at Myrtle Point is one’s calling today. Best weather we’ve enjoyed in these mountains in quite some time, so get out and do some exploring if you can! Have a great day. Good Morning,
Bring on the sunshine and clear skies! It’s a fabulous time of year to be living life on top of Ole Smoky. Low temps are in the bottom 40s this morning, and we should ascend into the upper 50s later on. Winds will be light which could add a bit of a chill to the air for some. But these conditions are perfect for hiking in, especially with the humidity having been dialed back. Going to be like this through the weekend, so get out and enjoy it if you can. Reminder that this weekend is one of the auto-cruises in Pigeon Forge, so congestion will be heavy in the area. Especially when you consider that school zones will be letting students out early today, and places like the Cades Cove loop are closed to visitors for the month, so folks coming to the park will be congregating in the remaining accessible popular areas. Want to take a moment to share our condolences to the family and friends of Charles Williams who passed away recently. For many decades, lodge enthusiasts have taken pride in donning their “I Hiked It” shirts. We have an outstanding team of folks at American Graffitee who work with our artists to craft a unique shirt that lodge visitors can wear with pride. For many years, Charles has helped take what our artists design on paper and transform it into a beautiful piece of art worthy of printing on a shirt. We thank Charles for his contributions to a popular piece of apparel these many years that can be seen round the world, year after year. Have a great weekend. Good Morning,
We’ve witnessed some spotty rain showers through the night and a few are lingering into this morning, but they aren’t expected to hang around for much longer. It appears as though the rapidly forming Tropical Depression Mindy will be staying well to the south, posing no concern to the Smokies. Clouds will be dominant much of the day with gradual clearing happening by this evening. Then it’s serveral days of abundant sunshine over East Tennessee! It’s also going to feel a bit cooler for a change. We’re reading temps in the upper 40s to start this Thursday, and can count on lows the next couple days there as well. Highs will be in the upper 50s, but perhaps with enough direct sunlight we’ll tap the lower 60s. Such conditions will make for delightful hiking weather, but one can guarantee wanting those extra layers for enjoying sunset up at Cliff Tops. Going to be breezy again today, with gusts up to 20mph possible at times, which will only add to the chill. Now less than eleven weeks left in the season, and we’ll start booking for 2022 in about three weeks. Time sure is flying by as we approach autumn! Have a great day. |
LeConte LodgeWelcome to the official blog of LeConte Lodge. We hope you find the information provided here both helpful and enjoyable. Thank you for visiting the site, and we hope to see you on the mountain! Archives
January 2025
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