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Official National Weather Service (NWS) point forecast and real-time wind conditions for Lake Nantahala (North Carolina). 24-hour hour-by-hour wind timelines, peak gusts, watercraft recreation safety thresholds, and 7-day marine outlook.
Flood Watch issued October 10 at 10:47PM EDT until October 11 at 2:00PM EDT by NWS Greenville-Spartanburg SC
Today: High 62°F · Low 54°F
Peak gusts: 27 mph · Lake surface chop expected
Humidity: 96% · Barometer: 30.01 inHg
USGS water monitoring available for Lake Nantahala.
Flood Watch issued October 10 at 10:47PM EDT until October 11 at 2:00PM EDT by NWS Greenville-Spartanburg SC
Fair for boating (56/100), from 4 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 6 mph from the south. Working against it: Active severe alert: Flood Watch. 60% chance of precipitation is likely. Not available from a verified source for this lake: visibility and conditions, verified water access. Confidence is moderate (84%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Fair for fishing (74/100), from 5 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 6 mph from the south. Sky is overcast (91% cloud cover). Working against it: 60% chance of precipitation is likely. Not available from a verified source for this lake: pressure trend, water temperature. Confidence is moderate (74%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Fair for kayaking (60/100), from 5 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 6 mph from the south. Air temperature 62°F. Working against it: Active severe alert: Flood Watch. 60% chance of precipitation is likely. Confidence is high (90%).
Water temperature is not available from a verified source for this lake. No swimming score is shown without it. Supporting this: Wind 6 mph from the south. Working against it: Active severe alert: Flood Watch. 60% chance of precipitation is likely. Not available from a verified source for this lake: water temperature.
| Time | Air Temp | Wind (mph) | Direction | Peak Gusts | Rain Chance | Sky & Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 AM | 62°F | 6 mph | S | ⚡ 22 mph | 60% | Patchy Fog |
| 4 AM | 61°F | 6 mph | S | ⚡ 23 mph | 44% | Patchy Fog |
| 5 AM | 60°F | 6 mph | S | ⚡ 22 mph | 16% | Patchy Fog |
| 6 AM | 58°F | 6 mph | S | ⚡ 21 mph | 11% | Patchy Fog |
| 7 AM | 56°F | 5 mph | SW | ⚡ 18 mph | 9% | Patchy Fog |
| 8 AM | 55°F | 5 mph | SW | ⚡ 16 mph | 39% | Chance Rain Showers |
| 9 AM | 54°F | 5 mph | SW | ⚡ 15 mph | 39% | Chance Rain Showers |
| 10 AM | 54°F | 3 mph | SW | ⚡ 14 mph | 59% | Rain Showers Likely |
| 11 AM | 57°F | 3 mph | SW | ⚡ 14 mph | 76% | Rain Showers |
| 12 PM | 60°F | 3 mph | W | ⚡ 14 mph | 69% | Rain Showers Likely |
| 1 PM | 61°F | 5 mph | W | ⚡ 14 mph | 75% | Rain Showers |
| 2 PM | 61°F | 5 mph | W | ⚡ 14 mph | 60% | Rain Showers Likely |
| 3 PM | 62°F | 5 mph | W | ⚡ 15 mph | 71% | Rain Showers Likely |
| 4 PM | 62°F | 5 mph | W | ⚡ 15 mph | 76% | Rain Showers |
| 5 PM | 62°F | 5 mph | W | ⚡ 14 mph | 62% | Rain Showers Likely |
| 6 PM | 62°F | 3 mph | W | ⚡ 15 mph | 68% | Rain Showers Likely |
| 7 PM | 62°F | 3 mph | NW | ⚡ 15 mph | 60% | Rain Showers Likely |
| 8 PM | 60°F | 2 mph | NW | ⚡ 14 mph | 28% | Chance Rain Showers |
| 9 PM | 58°F | 3 mph | NW | ⚡ 16 mph | 31% | Chance Rain Showers |
| 10 PM | 58°F | 5 mph | NW | ⚡ 17 mph | 26% | Chance Rain Showers |
| 11 PM | 58°F | 5 mph | NW | ⚡ 18 mph | 19% | Patchy Fog |
| 12 AM | 58°F | 5 mph | NW | ⚡ 18 mph | 15% | Patchy Fog |
| 1 AM | 57°F | 5 mph | NW | ⚡ 18 mph | 14% | Patchy Fog |
| 2 AM | 57°F | 5 mph | NW | ⚡ 18 mph | 8% | Patchy Fog |
Mirror-like to gentle rippled water. Optimal conditions for paddleboarding, kayaking, swimming, and beginner water skiing or wakeboarding.
Pleasant breeze with small wavelets. Great for sailing, pleasure cruising, pontoon boats, and trolling for trout and bass.
Moderate waves with whitecaps likely. Requires skilled boat handling; kayaks, canoes, and stand-up paddleboards should stay close to sheltered bays.
Steep waves, cold spray, and hazardous open water. Avoid small craft voyages. Always check official National Weather Service lake wind advisories.
Patchy fog and showers and thunderstorms likely before 5am, then patchy fog and a slight chance of rain showers. Cloudy. Low around 53, with temperatures rising to around 60 overnight. South wind around 6 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Patchy fog before 8am, then rain showers and patchy fog. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 62. Southwest wind around 6 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Rain showers likely and patchy fog before 11pm, then patchy fog and a slight chance of rain showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. West northwest wind 2 to 6 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Patchy fog before 10am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 72. North northwest wind 3 to 7 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
Clear, with a low around 51. North northwest wind around 2 mph.
Sunny, with a high near 76.
Clear, with a low around 54.
Sunny, with a high near 79.
Clear, with a low around 57.
Sunny, with a high near 78.
Mostly clear, with a low around 56.
Sunny, with a high near 73.
A slight chance of rain showers between 8pm and 2am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 46.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 61.
Lake Nantahala currently reports 62°F with wind velocity near 13 mph from the S. Atmospheric forecasts and 24-hour hour-by-hour wind timelines are updated hourly from the National Weather Service gridpoint matching the lake's coordinates.
At Lake Nantahala and surrounding mountain valleys, diurnal heating of the surrounding terrain causes strong thermal pressure differentials known locally as afternoon breezes (such as the Washoe Zephyr at Lake Tahoe). Wind speeds typically peak between 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM before calming near sunset.
For stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), canoeing, and light kayaks, winds under 7 mph (light breeze) offer the safest, glassiest surface conditions. Between 8–14 mph, small wavelets develop, suitable for sailboats and powerboats. Winds exceeding 15 mph create steep whitecaps and rapid drift; winds over 21 mph warrant small craft warnings.
All weather and wind telemetry is fetched directly from the National Weather Service (NOAA - WFO GSP) high-resolution numerical point-forecast API. LakeRadar uses the official gridpoint for Lake Nantahala without artificial smoothing or third-party estimates.
Yes. Live hydrological sensor readings, 30-day elevation histories, full-pool benchmarks, and USGS station provenance are available on our dedicated Lake Nantahala Water Level & Temperature page.
View Lake Nantahala Water Level & Temperature →