How are the Appalachians ten degrees warmer than lower elevations today?

There's a fascinating temperature profile across the Appalachian Mountains today thanks to winds interacting with the region's rolling terrain.

It's a raw and chilly day across the Piedmont today as daytime high temperatures struggled to break above the 50-degree mark from central Virginia all the way down into northern Georgia. 

Meanwhile, it's a comfortable afternoon high in the Appalachian Mountains, where temperatures are easily 10+ degrees warmer. Asheville was 61°F at 2:00 p.m. while Greensboro was shivering at 51°F. 

A model image showing winds a few thousand feet above the surface on Monday afternoon. (IMAGE: Tropical Tidbits)

What's the deal?

Strong southwesterly winds are blowing through the interior southeast and the Ohio Valley this afternoon as a low-pressure system tracks through the Great Lakes region. Meanwhile, we have a strong center of high pressure over the Northeast that's blowing cold air in from the north.

These chilly northerly winds are slamming into the side of the Appalachian Mountains and forcing that cold air to pool up at lower elevations. This is the infamous cold air damming we see so often this time of year.

The cold air is just shallow enough that it's sitting below the mountain ridges, allowing those warm southwesterly winds to rise over the cold air and blow over the peaks of the Appalachians.

Eventually, we'll see the cold air damming erode through Tuesday morning, allowing daytime temperatures to soar into the mid-60s at lower elevations. 

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