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Reflecting on a Record-Setting, Storm-Soaked September

Corey Davis

A photo of a woman walking a dog down a snow-covered road in Cary

Jan 24, 2025

Raleigh’s Record Snow Surprised Everyone in January 2000

It started with something familiar, at least by our wintry weather standards in North Carolina. But it didn’t take long to turn into a winter storm like the Triangle area had never seen before. On the evening of January 24, 2000 – a Monday, although that hardly mattered in the storm that warped time by…
A satellite image showing snow on the ground across the Southeastern Coastal Plain on January 22

Jan 23, 2025

Rapid Reaction: Snow Coats the Coast in Rare Southeastern Wintry Event

The second winter storm in a week and a half affected North Carolina on Tuesday night, and this time, it was eastern areas seeing the greatest accumulations and ending multi-year snow droughts. This event was part of a region-wide cold air outbreak courtesy of a deep trough in the jet stream that allowed an Arctic…
A photo of debris along the Swannanoa River in Biltmore Village following Hurricane Helene

Jan 21, 2025

The Weather Year in Review: Heat, Helene, and Weather Whiplash in 2024

This post is a summary of our recent Year in Review webinar. The recording from that event will be posted soon, and the presentation slides are now available. North Carolina’s weather in 2024 featured the costliest and deadliest tropical storm in our state’s history; that alone made it a notable year. But beyond Hurricane Helene,…
A photo of snow in downtown Mount Airy on Friday, January 10, 2025

Jan 13, 2025

Rapid Reaction: Snow Finally Returns Before an Icy Finish

After almost three years of waiting, measurable snow fell again across parts of North Carolina late last week, ending long-running and, in some cases, record-setting snow-free streaks. The setup for snow started taking shape more than a week earlier, when our first shot of chilly air this year arrived behind a cold front on January…
A photo of snow covering the ground with the sun rising in the skies on December 3, 2024

Jan 6, 2025

Despite Snow Chances, December Wraps Up Near-Record Warmth in 2024

December started with snow and finished with heavy rain in the Mountains, sandwiching unseasonably warm spells that added to a near-record warm year. We also check on recent and possible upcoming snow events. Wet in the West, Including Snow Wet conditions in the Mountains were offset by drier weather across the eastern two-thirds of the…
A photo of clouds in the sky over Winston-Salem on November 24

Dec 4, 2024

Warm Weather Delays Winter’s Chill in November

A steady stream of early-fall-like days made for a warm November, and despite returning rainfall, it was a dry month too. November wrapped up a fall defined by big rain events and background warmth. The Warmth Winds On With temperatures more typical of September during stretches last month, November was overwhelmingly warm across North Carolina.…
A photo of smoke from the Linville Gorge wildfire in March 2017 over Burke County, NC

Nov 13, 2024

Winter Outlook 2024-25: A Decisive Season for Droughts

It’s setting up to be a consequential winter for North Carolina, with the fate of a newly emerging drought, along with a potentially record-breaking “snow drought,” hanging in the balance. In our 13th annual winter outlook, we look at the potential La Niña pattern that could be in place this winter, the climatology of similar…
A photo of the scenery from Thunder Hill Overlook in the Mountains on October 16

Nov 4, 2024

October Dries Out in a Monthly Rainfall Reversal

Coming off a soaking September, October offered a decidedly drier pattern, along with mostly warm temperatures. That has made for an unconventional start to fall across the state. Dry Weather and Drought Return Fresh off the flooding from Hurricane Helene in late September, our weather took a much drier turn in October. The National Centers…
A photo of flooding along Highway 17 in Brunswick County after PTC8

Oct 3, 2024

Reflecting on a Record-Setting, Storm-Soaked September

Due to Hurricane Helene, the National Centers for Environmental Information’s data center in Asheville is currently shut down. Our colleagues at NCEI have confirmed that all of their staff are safe and accounted for in the wake of the storm. Since the preliminary statistics and statewide rankings are unavailable, our monthly climate summary for September…