Each cove and hollow has its own little weather system. Each town is different. As the weather moves across the mountains, it seems to get hung up on some, can’t climb over others, and funnels through some places more than others. Yesterday was a prime example. I’m waiting to do some filming south of me. With afternoon thunderstorms predicted, I knew better than to go over the mountain. Through the day we watched the clouds build to the south, billowing up higher and higher growing dark and angry. Resigned to doing yard work, I could hear the occasional rumble of thunder in the distance. Today I’m nursing a sun burn. The weather couldn’t make the climb over the hills.
So what’s a rider to do? Nearly every day through the summer there’s some chance of showers predicted. Do we believe the weather report or go out on our ride? Honestly, there is no way to know for sure. It’s always a gamble. But there are a few tips which will help you avoid a good soaking or skirt around areas where rain is more predominant.
First of all, the closer you are to the clouds the more you will find yourself in them and the wetness they hold. It is far more likely to rain at the higher elevations and rain harder. When the weather looks gloomy, avoid the high places. Sometimes the rain never makes it to the ground in the lower elevations. More than once, I’ve left the Blue Ridge Parkway onto one of the many great side roads only to ride out of the rain and even hit the sunshine leaving the storm behind me.
Another tip for summer riding is to take your time getting started in the morning if you want to get those long range views from the high places. With the cooler temperatures of night, the clouds come down and settle in the coves and valleys. As the sun comes up, it warms them and they rise out of the valleys and climb up the mountainsides. If you get up high too early in the morning, you’ll catch up to them before they’ve cleared the mountaintops and your long range views will be obscured by the gray-white mists. Take your time and enjoy a nice breakfast.
Some places get more rain than others. The mountains often provide a barrier that either prevents the weather from climbing over them or funnels it along them raining on one side but not the other. You are more likely to experience showers if you are on the north or south side of the higher elevations. Brevard, 20 miles south of me sees more rain than I do as it sometimes can’t climb over the Blue Ridge Parkway. You’ll see stronger storms on the Tennessee side of the mountains when it can’t make the climb over the Smokies to come south. Mt. Mitchell, the highest mountain in the east, sees a lot of rain. I’d avoid it when the weather is iffy.
You can’t always avoid the rain, but often you can ride out of it and plan your rides around the places where it most likely. There’s no better feeling than to crest that ridge and see clear blue skies on the other side. It’s all part of riding in the mountains.
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