Areas of Dangerous Heat and Severe Thunderstorms

Dangerous heat will persist across the Southwest U.S. through Friday with daytime highs of 110-115°F. Heat across the southern Plains will briefly ease to near-normal by late week before returning over much of the Plains into next week. Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms are possible across parts of the Northeast U.S. on Thursday. Damaging wind, hail, and a tornado or two are possible. Read More >

Watauga RAWS site information

This U.S. Forest Service site is located in a grassy opening on a ridge top (elevation of 2869 feet MSL) near Leach Gap along the Unicoi-Washington county line. The site has good wind exposure to the west and decent exposure to the east, but trees are located around 25 to 30 feet north and south of the anemometer. These trees are about as tall as the anemometer (around 20 feet as of March 2009), so they should not completely obstruct the wind from the north and south directions. This location is generally the highest point in the immediate area, although some slightly higher elevations are found around half of a mile to the southwest.

Topographical map of the Watauga RAWS site.