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Rapid Reaction: Weekend Winter Storm Brings Icy Glaze, But Few Outages

Climate Blog

A photo of a tractor kicking up dust in an eastern North Carolina field in April 2026

May 4, 2026

An Anomalous April Was Hot and Dry with Deepening Drought

Periods of summer-like heat and limited rainfall combined to cause drought intensification last month, which has led to new emerging impacts across the state. Untimely Temperatures Several long stretches of unseasonable temperatures boosted this to one of our warmest Aprils on record. Based on preliminary data from the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), last…
A photo of Rhodhiss Dam in 1926

Apr 30, 2026

A Century-Old Drought Offers Parallels to Today

As we remain mired in our worst statewide drought in more than 18 years, comparisons with historical droughts — especially that memorable 2007-08 event — have become common in recent weeks, including in our own assessment of the current drought and its impacts. We’ve generally labeled the 2007-08 drought as the worst in North Carolina’s…
A photo of smoke from the Rosindale Road fire in Bladen County

Apr 23, 2026

About Extreme Drought: What to Know This Spring and Beyond

With April showers staying away, record hot temperatures in recent weeks, and rainfall deficits continuing to increase, Extreme Drought conditions have been expanding explosively across North Carolina this month. With drought impacts becoming more apparent, including water restrictions being implemented in parts of the state, we recently assembled a panel of drought experts from the…
A photo of tornado damage on a building in Jacksonville, NC

Apr 2, 2026

Severe Pollen, Severe Drought, and Severe Storms Ramp Up in March

Spring kicked into high gear in March, with warm weather and high pollen counts, mostly dry conditions and emerging drought impacts, and the first severe storms of the year. Warm Weather Blossoms With winter’s chill now behind us, March brought spring-like weather and overall above-normal temperatures across North Carolina. Data from the National Centers for…
A satellite image of snow on the ground across North Carolina on February 2, 2026

Mar 19, 2026

Winter Recap 2025-26: Cool and Dry, With a Snowy Centerpiece

It wouldn’t be a classic North Carolina winter without a bit of ice, a solid snow, and temperatures running the full range from frigid to spring-like – sometimes only days apart. We fit all of those and more into the 2025-26 winter. In this post, we’ll wrap up the season with a look at the…
A photo of snow on Grandfather Mountain on February 24, 2026

Mar 9, 2026

Snow Melted, But Severe Drought Continued in February

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…
An aerial photo of Greenville, NC, after the snow on February 1, 2026

Feb 4, 2026

January’s Warm Start Flipped to a Frigid, Frozen Finish

The new year began with a memorable weather month, including an arriving chill and a wintry conclusion, which changed the landscape of our latest snow events. Temperatures in Freefall After warmer weather initially, a late-month chill put January’s temperatures slightly below normal overall. The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) reports a preliminary statewide average…
A photo of a snowplow in deep snow outside the National Weather Service office in Newport, NC

Feb 2, 2026

Rapid Reaction: A Statewide Snowstorm for the Ages

Accumulating snow fell all across North Carolina last weekend in our most widespread wintry event in more than a dozen years, and the biggest snow for some areas in several decades. While this event had a classic Carolina snowstorm setup, it was anything but a garden variety winter storm, following an ideal pattern for significant…
A photo of ice-covered trees in Transylvania County on January 25, 2026

Jan 26, 2026

Rapid Reaction: Weekend Winter Storm Brings Icy Glaze, But Few Outages

A winter storm with an icy, damaging history dealt a relatively minor blow to North Carolina last weekend, leaving a slippery glaze but limited power outages in its wake. After an Arctic front arrived on Friday night to set up a frigid air mass – including afternoon temperatures only in the 20s on Saturday –…