Exploring the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is located in between the borders of Tennessee and North Carolina. The park is actually apart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, of which are both parts of the Appalachian Mountain chain (U.S Geology). The park is the most visited national park in the United States, according to (Geology). The national park was an official part of the United States in 1940 by president Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The park was the first park to be paid for with federal funds, previous parks were paid with money raised by states or private funds received from individuals. The park is one of the largest protected areas in the eastern United States (Climate Change In The Great Smoky Mountains National Park). This park has beautiful

features that have been assorted by human influence and natural environmental conditions that have occurred over time. These human and environmental influences consist of climate change, vegetation, soil structure, landforms, and last of all environmental issues that have also sculpted the structure of the land.
The climate of a region can change the structure of an area drastically.

In The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, each season brings a different element to the mountainous region. In the early springtime, The Park usually consists of unpredictable weather. Warm sunny skies can lead to snow fall within hours within the higher elevations. The average temperatures in the lower elevation levels have an average temperature of 61 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, and a below freezing level around 42 degrees Fahrenheit. When the later months of spring become near, temperature tends to rise up. The average temperature in late spring tend to reach the 80s during the day time and the 40s to 50s as the sun starts to set at lower elevations. At higher elevations, temperatures still reach below freezing at night, along with snowfall still occurring. Rainfall is usually highest during the late spring, pouring down around 4.5 inches, mostly occurring in the form of afternoon showers. As summer comes around in the Great Smoky Mountains, high temperatures tend to come. With the increase in temperature, humidity and haze follow as well. During the summer time, afternoon showers and thunderstorms occur almost daily during the afternoon, averaging around 5 inches of rainfall in the lower elevations. Rainfall in the higher elevations occurs more often and in greater amount, averaging around 7 inches. Even with higher rainfall in the elevated parts of the mountains, weather is still pleasant. As the seasons change from summer to autumn, the skies are normally clear with cooler weather entering. The days in autumn are warm, with average temperatures ranging around the 70s and 80s, with cooler nights falling into the 50s and 60s. As autumn continues, the lows turn into near freezing temperatures, with frosting of plants occurring regularly. Rain is very seldom during the autumn season, making autumn the driest season of The Great Smoky Mountain, but in rare occasions, snow is

possible in the higher elevated areas. Winters in The Park are usually sensible, but extreme weather does occur. Weather in the low elevated areas are usually warmer during the day, reaching around 50 degrees and higher, while in the higher elevated areas the temperatures are below freezing on a regular basis. Winter nights in the area are at or below freezing in both the lower and higher elevated areas. Lows of -20 degrees Fahrenheit are possible at higher elevation. Snowfall is common in both the high and low parts of the park. Snowfall is usually 1 inch or more in the lower elevated areas occurring 1-5 times each year. In the higher elevated areas, snowfall is more frequent and in greater quantities. Snowfall can accumulate to 2 feet or more from just one snowstorm on the higher parts of the park (U.S. Weather).