Frying Pan Tower is located 32 miles off the coast of North Carolina and rises 135' above the Atlantic Ocean. It helps provide safety to Mariners in the Atlantic ocean, is used for environmental research and education studies, and is a shelter to a natural ecosystem for marine wildlife.

Its location makes it a prime spot to observe tropical weather off the Carolina coast, including a direct hit by Hurricane Irene in 2011. Weather conditions are observed on-board by weather sensors and a live streaming webcam.

In 2010, the government placed the Frying Pan Tower up for auction, with the winning bid going to Richard Neal of Charlotte, NC. Richard is our guest on this episode of the Carolina Weather Group. He joins us via video chat from the tower.

The tower is powered using wind turbines and solar energy for electricity. It has a filtration system for potable water and high-speed Internet for communications. 

You can learn more about the tower, and make a donation to its upkeeping, on https://fptower.org/.

This episode was available early to our Patreon supporters. Join us today to unlocked early access and episode exclusives: https://patreon.com/carolinaweathergroup.