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4 Factors that Made Hazel a Perfect Storm for NC

Corey Davis

Jan 8, 2015

2014 Climate Review: Coastal NC Saw it All

This is the second part of our 2014 climate review. Last time, we looked at some statewide stats and extremes. Today, we begin a region-by-region recap of the past year. Annual Overview On average, it was a cool, wet year for the 41 counties in the Coastal Plain. The average temperature of 60.94°F across the…

Jan 6, 2015

2014 Climate Review: By the Numbers

In the first part of our 2014 climate review for North Carolina, we look at some statewide statistics and extremes from the past year. Temperatures The statewide average temperature was 57.53°F, making 2014 the 19th-coldest year in the past 120 years, and the coolest since 1988. The warmest location was Atlantic Beach in Carteret County,…

Jan 2, 2015

December Delivers Above-Normal Temps and a Rainy Finish

December was a fairly quiet month weather-wise, with temperatures running a few degrees above normal, especially in the west, and precipitation late in the month for eastern North Carolina. Sun Bowl: Above-Normal Mean Temps Across the State On the heels of one of our coldest Novembers on record, December finished as the 28th-warmest since 1895.…

Dec 17, 2014

A Coastal White Christmas: Revisiting the 1989 Winter Storm

For the North Carolina coast, dreams of a white Christmas came true 25 years ago in 1989. An ideal setup with cold air in place, a strong offshore low, and timing just before the holiday meant snow on the ground on Christmas for the first time on record in some parts of eastern North Carolina.…

Dec 1, 2014

November Wraps Up a Cool Fall for NC

November saw overall cool temperatures with wet weather late in the month for North Carolina. Record Lows Highlight a Cool Month Almost from start to finish, cooler weather ruled the past month in North Carolina. Most stations saw average temperatures 3° to 7°F below normal, and the statewide average says it was our 4th-coolest November…

Nov 19, 2014

Is El Niño a Go? The Latest on Pacific Patterns

This is the second part of our 2014-15 winter outlook series. We previously covered forecasts from folklore, and today we dip into the Pacific to see how ENSO could affect our winter. Perhaps the most commonly cited environmental predictor in seasonal outlooks is ENSO, or the El Niño/Southern Oscillation. ENSO describes the natural, cyclical change…

Nov 17, 2014

Famous Folklore Suggests a Cool Winter Awaits

Today we begin our four-part winter outlook series with the forecasts from some well-known bits of folklore. From bugs to plants to sun spots, many natural phenomena have become the basis for winter weather forecasts. While our own scientific knowledge of the atmosphere tends to give us a more confident forecast for the coming seasons,…

Nov 3, 2014

Mild October Sees Variable Rainfall, Changing Leaves

October saw several signs of fall across the state. Statewide Temperatures Slightly Above Normal Our October saw a mix of warm days with highs in the 80s and milder stretches of fall-like weather. Those averaged out to give a warmer-than-normal month, ranking as the 47th-warmest October in 120 years of record. Most locations had average…

Oct 15, 2014

4 Factors that Made Hazel a Perfect Storm for NC

Before Fran, Floyd, Isabel, or Irene, there was Hazel. When Hurricane Hazel made landfall 60 years ago today, it set the standard for hurricane intensity and destruction in North Carolina. In our state alone, the storm destroyed more than 15,000 buildings, left 19 people dead and 200 injured, and caused nearly $1.2 billion in damage,…