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Winter Outlook 2024-25: A Decisive Season for Droughts

global patterns

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 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 smoke from a wildfire near Banner Elk, NC, in November 2025

Jan 20, 2026

The Weather Year in Review: Dry Days, Plus a Few Storms, in 2025

It’s a climate conundrum: how can a year characterized by overall dry weather be most notable for its big precipitation events? That’s the reality of 2025 in North Carolina, which featured persistent drought as well as the return of snowfall, welcome spring rains for agriculture, and a solitary soaking from the tropics. As part of…
A photo of snow on a road and sidewalk in Raleigh, NC, on January 10, 2025

Nov 19, 2025

Winter Outlook 2025-26: A Seasonal Repeat in Store?

It’s said that no two snowflakes are alike — and science backs that up — but could we see two winters following the same template in back-to-back years? Early signs among the ocean and atmosphere are showing similar setups to last winter, which was dry overall but with multiple wintry events affecting all parts of…
A photo of a scenic overlook under cloudy skies at Chimney Rock State Park earlier this month

Sep 4, 2025

A Fall-Like Feeling Arrived With Mixed Rainfall in August

Cooler weather made for an unseasonable August, while we started wet and finished the month on a dry note. In this post, we also wrap up the summer and look at the big weather stories awaiting this fall. An Early Chill Interrupts Summer In a sudden shift after a hot end to July, August brought…
A photo of the sunrise in Newport, NC, on May 18

Jun 3, 2025

Spring Showers in May End a Long-Running Dry Spell

May brought a wetter weather pattern and prevailing above-normal temperatures in North Carolina. With summer now upon us, we also look at outlooks for the Atlantic hurricane season. Rain Returns and Drought Dwindles With multiple rounds of significant rain across the state, May reversed our recent dry trend and brought drought relief in many areas.…
A photo of snow on Topsail Beach on January 22, 2025

Mar 13, 2025

Winter Recap 2024-25: Snow Returns, but Drought Deepens

Our weather this winter included evidence of the expected, including overall dry conditions, along with some surprises sprinkled in with the return of snow across the state for the first time in almost three years. As we review the past season, we’ll take a closer look at the winter by the numbers, how our snowfall…
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 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…