Snow and rain each fell in an overall dry February, which featured both winter chill and spring-like warmth. In one constant last month, drought continued with no improvements just yet.

A Snowy Start, Then Weekly Rainfall

Despite multiple precipitation events in both a frozen and a liquid form, February finished as another dry month for most of North Carolina. Data from the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) shows a statewide average precipitation of 2.51 inches, which ranks as our 32nd-driest February since 1895.

February began with the final flakes falling in our state’s biggest snow event in decades. Totals reached more than a foot in some higher-elevation mountain areas, along the Interstate 85 corridor in the western Piedmont, and for much of the central Coastal Plain.

While that snow was significant, its powdery nature translated to liquid totals of less than an inch in most areas. That was part of a pair of trends that continued throughout February: precipitation mostly falling on the weekends, but in relatively minor or localized events:

• On Saturday, February 7, parts of western North Carolina received up to 3 inches of snow, but less than a quarter-inch of liquid precipitation.
• On Sunday, February 15, a low pressure system brought totals of an inch or more across the Piedmont, but less than half an inch in most of eastern North Carolina.
• On Sunday, February 22, an offshore low pressure system that later became a blizzard to our north produced an inch of rain in northeastern North Carolina, along with wind gusts of up to 48 mph on Piney Island.

The month ended with a pair of events that bucked both trends: weekday storm systems that brought more sizable precipitation totals.

First, on February 23 and 24, cold air and moisture from the northwest fueled snow in parts of our northern Mountains, including 6 inches in Boone for its biggest snow of the season.

Later that week, a passing low pressure system brought rainfall totals of an inch or more in many areas. Lexington had 1.85 inches of rain on February 26, capping off a month that started with 16 inches of snow. Our Lewiston ECONet station recorded 1.40 inches of rain, which was its wettest day since December 2 of last year.

In a few areas like Elizabeth City and Raleigh, that late-month event pushed February’s precipitation totals past 3 inches and barely above normal. In Raleigh, this was the first wetter-than-normal month since August 2025.

Elsewhere, February still finished drier than normal, including the 8th-driest February in New Bern and the 9th-driest in Hickory dating back to 1949 at both sites. Asheville had only 1.48 inches all month in its 2nd-driest February on record, Charlotte had 2.48 inches for its 34th-driest February, and Hatteras totaled 2.80 inches all month in its 38th-driest February.

An Early Chill, Then More Variability

A number of cold days, especially at the start of the month, left February slightly cooler than normal in North Carolina. NCEI reports a statewide average temperature of 41.7°F and our 57th-coolest February out of the past 132 years.

Many western sites finished the month near or slightly above their average temperatures, with Charlotte tied for its 56th-warmest February and Hickory tied for its 31st-warmest February on record. Greensboro and Raleigh each finished two degrees cooler than normal, with the Triad tied for its 57th-coolest February since 1903.

With monthly temperature departures of 3 or more degrees below normal, our coastal sites were decidedly colder, including Elizabeth City in its 14th-coolest February and Hatteras in its 18th-coolest February on record.

The chilly weather from mid to late January carried over into early February, particularly in places that had a blanket of snow on the ground to start the month. On February 2, Lumberton’s low temperature hit a frigid -1°F and our ECONet station in Whiteville bottomed out at 5°F, which was the coldest morning at both sites since December 1989.

In the Piedmont, Concord dropped to 2°F in its 5th-coldest morning all-time and the coldest since the record-setting chill on January 21, 1985. Greensboro set a new daily record low of 3°F, which was its coldest reading since February 5, 1996.

Cold weather continued early in the month, with nighttime lows in the teens all the way to the coastline until February 9. That was one of five nights last month with lows below 20°F in Newport, which was its most in any month since January 2018.

After four weeks in the freezer, we finally broke out of winter’s icy grip on February 10, when high pressure shifting to our southeast pushed our high temperatures into the low 70s. The next morning brought milder low temperatures in the 40s, which ended a string of 18 consecutive days in New Bern with lows at or below freezing – its longest such streak since December 2010.

The warmth ramped up again on February 20 as temperatures soared well into the 70s, including a new daily record high of 76°F in Greensboro and 83°F in Charlotte — its first ever day that warm in the month of February. Parts of the southern Foothills also reached the 80-degree mark, including only the 11th time Tryon has been that warm in February over the past 110 years.

But in a reminder that winter wasn’t quite finished just yet, we also saw a final cooldown on February 23 and 24, with high temperatures in the upper 30s and low 40s in many areas. With snow falling, Beech Mountain only reached 7°F that afternoon, which was its coldest day since December 25, 2022.

Even with that late temperature setback and overall cooler-than-normal temperatures for the month, we had enough warmth for plants to begin budding and blooming. That also kickstarted the pollen season, with high levels of tree pollen on February 18 and 19, mainly from juniper, cedar, cypress, and maple trees.

Despite Some Rain, Drought Persists

Even after a solid snow early and rainfall nearly every weekend, the state drought map was essentially unchanged in February, with most of North Carolina in Severe Drought (D2) and even a couple pockets of Extreme Drought (D3) emerging last month.

So why is this drought so stubborn?

One clue concerning the lack of improvement comes from the February precipitation ranking. Most of the state was drier than normal, adding to our precipitation deficits dating back to last September, which now stand at 6 to 12 inches statewide.

Charlotte and Raleigh just wrapped up their driest September through February period on record, with barely half of their normal precipitation. After six months of record-breaking dryness like that, one month with average precipitation like February won’t make the drought suddenly disappear.

The snow melt also wasn’t as effective as we might have hoped. Because of the cold temperatures continuing through the first week of February, the ground stayed frozen and some of the snow sublimated – converting directly from solid to vapor – rather than melting and soaking in.

And when we go through an extended dry spell like we did late last fall and early this winter, it takes multiple steady rain events to fully recharge soils, streams, and lakes. That was the case in February, as even when the ground was soft, deeper soils and groundwater wells were slower to respond.

We did get some good news about surface water conditions by the end of the month. Streamflow levels across the Cape Fear and Neuse basins have moved back into the normal range, and Jordan Lake rose above its guide curve level after spending much of the winter 2 to 3 feet below that target.

Those changes after the late-month rain event did lead to some improvements on the latest US Drought Monitor, with areas of Severe Drought in central and eastern North Carolina shifting back to Moderate Drought (D1). We’ll need more events like that, with an inch or more on a regular basis, to continue chipping away at the ongoing deficits and drought impacts.

That’s especially important as we head into the spring. Warmer weather will mean higher evaporation rates, so we’ll naturally need more rain to offset those losses. Some reservoir targets will also increase to summer levels, so they’ll need extra rain overhead or upstream to boost inflows. And as farmers prepare for springtime planting, they’ll need more moisture to saturate the subsoil layer and ensure their crops develop a deep, healthy root system.

While it sure seems like this drought won’t go away, that’s because it didn’t develop overnight and it also won’t end in one event, or even in one month. But after our worst cool-season drought since 2016-17, we’re at least trending toward recovery thanks to modest moisture in February.