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Asheville Rgnl Airport
Asheville, NC, United States
Photograph of ASOS equipment taken from the South. Click on photo for larger photo and additional photos. ASOS Photographs
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Type* : LAND SURFACE COOP B ASOS ASOS-NWS WSO
Call Sign/ICS* : AVL / KAVL
WBAN* : 03812
COOP ID* : 310300
Climate Division* : NC-01 - Southern Mountains
WMO ID* : 72315
In Service* : 01 Jan 1961 to Present
Elevation* : 645.3m (2117') above s/l
Lat/Lon* : 35°26'N / 82°32'W
County* : Buncombe

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    Photograph of ASOS equipment taken from the South. Click on photo for larger photo and additional photos. The city of Asheville is located on both banks of the French Broad River, near the center of the French Broad Basin. Upstream from Asheville, the valley runs south for 18 miles and then curves toward the south-southwest. Downstream from the city, the valley is oriented toward the north-northwest. Two miles upstream from the principal section of Asheville, the Swannanoa River joins the French Broad from the east. The entire valley is known as the Asheville Plateau, having an average elevation near 2,200 feet above sea level, and is flanked by mountain ridges to the east and west, whose peaks range from 2,000 to 4,400 feet above the valley floor. At the Carolina-Tennessee border, about 25 miles north-northwest of Asheville, a relatively high ridge of mountains blocks the northern end of the valley. Thirty miles south, the Blue Ridge Mountains form an escarpment, having a general elevation of about 2,700 feet above sea level. The tallest peaks near Asheville are Mt. Mitchell, 6,684 feet above sea level, 20 miles northeast of the city, and Big Pisgah Mountain, 5,72l feet above sea level, 16 miles to the southwest.

    Asheville has a temperate, but invigorating, climate. Considerable variation in temperature often occurs from day to day in summer, as well as during the other seasons.

    While the office was located in the city, the combination of roof exposure conditions and a smoke blanket, caused by inversions in temperature in the valley on quiet nights, resulted in higher early morning temperatures at City Office sites than were experienced nearer ground level in nearby rural areas. The growing season in this area is of sufficient length for commercial crops, the average length of freeze-free period being about 195 days. The average last occurrence in spring of a temperature 32 degrees or lower is mid-April and the average first occurrence in fall of 32 degrees is late October. The orientation of the French Broad Valley appears to have a pronounced influence on the wind direction. Prevailing winds are from the northwest during all months of the year. Also, the shielding effect of the nearby mountain barriers apparently has a direct bearing on the annual amount of precipitation received in this vicinity. In an area northwest of Asheville, the average annual precipitation is the lowest in North Carolina. Precipitation increases sharply in all other directions, especially to the south and southwest.

    Destructive events caused directly by meteorological conditions are infrequent. The most frequent, occurring at approximately 12-year intervals, are floods on the French Broad River. These floods are usually associated with heavy rains caused by storms moving out of the Gulf of Mexico. Snowstorms which have seriously disrupted normal life in this community are infrequent. Hailstorms that cause property damage are extremely rare.


Data Inventories

    Please note that additional data (digital and non-digital) may be available for this station. Contact NCDC if additional details are needed.

    Click on the following where available:

    • DAT to obtain digital ascii data (charges may apply),
      Please do not order these data if you do not know what a Digital ASCII File is.
    • INV to view inventory, or
    • DOC to view documentation

    Surface
    DAT INV DOC 3200 -Cooperative Summary Of The Day
    DAT INV DOC 3210 -Summary Of The Day - First Order
    DAT INV DOC SOD -Daily Surface Data (TD3200/3210 combined)
    DAT INV DOC 3220 -Summary Of The Month (SOM) Cooperative
    DAT INV DOC 3240 -Hourly Precipitation Data
    DAT INV DOC 3280 -Surface Airways Hourly And Airways Solar Radiation
    DAT INV DOC 3290 -Summary Observation
    DAT INV DOC 3292 -Weather Duration
    DAT INV DOC 9950 -DATSAV 2 Surface (see Global Surface Station Information).


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Go Station History

Asheville Rgnl Airport

Additional Station History Data from MMS

Date BeganDate EndedLat/LonElevation
meters/feet
COOP
ID
WBANCall
Sign
WMO
ID
Type
ASHEVILLE RGNL AP
01 Jun 1996Present35°26'N / 82°32'W645.3m / 2117'31030003812AVL 72315LAND SURFACE COOP B ASOS ASOS-NWS WSO
01 Jan 199501 Jun 199635°26'N / 82°33'W652.3m / 2140'31030003812AVL 72315LAND SURFACE COOP B WSO
06 Jan 199001 Jan 199535°26'N / 82°33'W652.3m / 2140'31030003812AVL 72315LAND SURFACE COOP B WSO
01 Jul 198006 Jan 199035°26'N / 82°33'W652.3m / 2140'31030003812AVL 72315LAND SURFACE COOP WSO
ASHEVILLE AP
01 Jan 197601 Jul 198035°26'N / 82°33'W652.3m / 2140'31030003812AVL 72315LAND SURFACE COOP WSO
01 Sep 196401 Jan 197635°26'N / 82°33'W652.3m / 2140'31030003812..LAND SURFACE COOP WSO
25 Aug 196401 Sep 196435°26'N / 82°33'W652.3m / 2140'....LAND SURFACE FAA
30 Apr 196125 Aug 196435°26'N / 82°33'W654.1m / 2146'....LAND SURFACE FAA
10 Apr 196130 Apr 196135°26'N / 82°33'W654.1m / 2146'....LAND SURFACE LAWRS FAA
05 Apr 196110 Apr 196135°26'N / 82°33'W654.1m / 2146'....LAND SURFACE LAWRS FAA
01 Jan 196105 Apr 196135°26'N / 82°33'W654.1m / 2146'....LAND SURFACE LAWRS

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