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A Warm, Dry March Fans the Fire Season’s Flames

drought

A photo of cloudy skies in Weaverville on December 29

Jan 3, 2024

Winter Gets a Warm, Wet Start in December

Fall-like temperatures carried over into December, but our fall drought faded as wetter weather emerged last month. A few areas also picked up snow, but most of the state finished 2023 with no accumulations. Warm Throughout December The calendar said it was December, but it rarely felt like winter thanks to prevailing warmth last month.…
A photo of low levels at Jordan Lake, which exposed old roadbeds and home foundations

Dec 5, 2023

A Dry Start to November Lets Drought Deepen

Dry weather continued and drought expanded in November, while temperatures ranged from wintry to warm throughout the month. We also close the book on a dry fall and an active hurricane season. Drought Goes to the Extreme With only one decent rain event all month in most areas, November was quite dry in North Carolina.…
A photo of the Collett Ridge wildfire burning in the mountains of Cherokee County

Nov 2, 2023

Drought Digs In During a Bone Dry October

Dry weather dominated October, which led to drought expansion and intensification. Our average temperatures were near normal, balanced by warmer days and a few cool nights. Precipitation Passes Us By Rain last month was as rare as full-sized candy bars on Halloween night, which made it a dry month overall. Preliminary data from the National…
A photo of changing leaf colors and mountain ash berries in western North Carolina

Oct 3, 2023

Autumn Arrived and the Tropics Came Alive in September

September saw a timely change of seasons and mostly dry weather, apart from Ophelia. That tropical storm was part of an active month across the Atlantic. From Summer into Fall Sweltering heat gave way to more seasonable conditions in September, so it averaged out as a slightly warmer than normal month overall. The National Centers…
A photo of a tree down along the shores of Lake Norman after the August 7 tornado event

Sep 6, 2023

August Saw Extreme Heat and Damaging Storms

Hot weather carried over into August, and also featured many dry days until Idalia’s arrival. When we did have rain, it often came from severe and damaging thunderstorms throughout the month. Heat Holds Steady After summer started in earnest in July, it hit high gear in August with persistent heat throughout the month. The National…
A satellite image of Idalia over eastern North Carolina early on Thursday, August 31

Aug 31, 2023

Rapid Reaction: Idalia Ends August on a Wet Note

The first tropical storm of the season to affect North Carolina lashed the southeastern part of the state with rain and wind, but apparently caused minimal overall damage and benefitted areas that slipped into drought during a hot, dry August. Idalia formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday and reached hurricane strength early on…
A photo of the Spring Creek wildfire taken from the air

Aug 24, 2023

Rapid Reaction: Drought Comes Back, in a Flash

A little over six weeks ago, the town of Bayboro, which sits on the Pamlico River along North Carolina’s central coastline, was soaked by 1.89 inches of rain in a single day on July 7. Since then, they have had just 1.87 inches in total, putting them more than six inches below normal during that…
A photo of a rainbow over Sunset Beach, NC

May 5, 2023

Wet Weekends Continue in a Shower-Soaked April

Regular rainfall in April made for a wet month, and continued a string of wet weekends this year. Warm and windy weather also fanned the state’s largest wildfire in more than a decade. A Wet April Statewide Several heavy rain events last month made for a wet April across North Carolina. According to preliminary data…
An aerial photo of smoldering on the site of the Last Resort wildfire

Apr 6, 2023

A Warm, Dry March Fans the Fire Season’s Flames

March saw stretches of spring-like weather on either side of a cold week, and generally dry conditions across the state that made for an active start to the spring fire season. Widespread Warmth, with One Cool Week Apart from a mid-month cool snap, spring-like temperatures prevailed in March. Statewide, the average temperature was 52.4°F, which…