September 16, 2021

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.