Welcome to The Weather Corner
with weather data for Fairview and Western North Carolina... plus weather features, photos, and historical data.



Weather Outlook for Fairview

Through Sunday... Mild days and cool nights. Slight chance of an afternoon/evening thundershower each day.



First Tropical Storm of the Season
Forms in the Atlantic Basin

Tropical storm Alberto with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (as of 5 pm Saturday) has formed about 150 miles off the coast of South Carolina, or about 400 miles southeast of Asheville.

Alberto is not expected to affect Western North Carolina.

The National Hurricane Center expects Alberto to drift to the southeast Saturday night and Sunday, and strengthen slightly, then reverse direction and move toward the northeast Sunday night and Monday, probably remaining off the coast of the Carolinas.

A tropical storm watch may be issued for the coastal areas of North and South Carolina Saturday night.

Alberto is the earliest-forming tropical storm in the Atlantic Basic in nine years (since Ana in 2003).



April Weather Summary: Normal Temperatures
And Much Above-Normal Precipitation

Average temperature for April was 55.1 degrees, exactly matching the month's normal temperature. Total precipitation was 5.75", or 2.16" above the April normal of 3.59". Traces of snow occurred in a cold spell on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th.

April's heavy rainfall was welcome because the first three months of 2012 had accumulated a precipitation deficit of 3.24". Total precipitation from January 1 through March 31 was 8.73", versus a normal total of 11.97" for that period.

Hail, a relatively rare occurrence in Fairview, fell on two days during April. A strong thunderstorm on the 5th brought pea-sized hail that caused no damage, but rainwater washed the hail into small piles that accumulated along a few roads.

A much stronger thunderstorm pummeled Fairview with large hail between 7:20 and 7:30 pm on the 26th. A few hailstones measured three-quarters of an inch in diameter at the observation station, but we received photographs of irregularly shaped hailstones up to 1 1/4" in length that fell elsewhere in Fairview. That hail reportedly dented automobiles and caused some minor roof damage.

Freezing temperatures (middle and upper 20s) in the early morning hours of April 12 damaged some sensitive vegetation that had sprouted prematurely following three weeks of unseasonably warm temperatures from mid March into early April. A second freeze (upper 20s and lower 30s) occurred in the early morning hours of the 22nd, 23rd and 24th, but caused little additional damage to vegetation.



The National Weather Service's outlook for May calls for near-or above-normal temperatures across Western North Carolina and near-normal rainfall.







Daily Statistics, May 2012
(Below are daily postings of weather statistics recorded at our Chestnut reporting station, elevation 3,650 ft., Fairview NC)

Date	High	Low	Precip
1	77	60	0
2	80	61	Trace
3	77	62	0
4	74	62	0
5	71	59	0.32
6	69	58	0
7	67	61	0
8	67	58	0.65
9	60	48	0.40
10	60	47	0
11	64	46	0
12	60	52	Trace
13	56	52	0.53
14	66	54	0.98
15	65	56	0.24
16	67	54	0
17	67	56	0.22
18	64	54	0.56