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Winter Outlook 2020-21: La Niña Has Landed

global patterns

A map of total snowfall in North Carolina from November 2022 through March 2023.

Mar 24, 2023

Winter Recap 2022-23: Snow is Scarce, Blooms Come Early

A few cold days before Christmas were the only taste of winter many areas felt all season, as warm and often spring-like weather dominated the season overall in North Carolina. In this look back on the winter that wasn’t, we review the seasonal rankings and snowfall totals, revisit our winter outlook, and look ahead to…
A map of global sea surface temperature anomalies from October 2022

Nov 17, 2022

Winter Outlook for 2022-23: La Niña Lives On

A persistent Pacific pattern is back again, putting us in line for a rare triple-dip La Niña this winter. But with each of the past two winters playing out very differently in North Carolina, what can we expect this year? In our eleventh annual winter outlook, we’ll examine the current ENSO conditions, the rarity of…
A photo of mist in the Mountains on an early August morning

Sep 7, 2022

Drought Disappears in August, Despite the Tropical Lull

Bookended by heat, August wrapped up a warm summer statewide, while scattered showers brought our ongoing drought to an end. We also turn to the tropics and review a rare storm-free August. A Warm Summer Wraps Up A hot start and end to August were balanced by cooler mid-month weather, but it was still a…
A map of percent of normal precipitation for December 2021 through February 2022

Mar 8, 2022

Winter Recap 2021-22: Warm Weather Prevails, Even with a Snowy Surprise

In North Carolina, it was a winter of warmth with a month of cool, snowy weather stuck in the middle. So what shaped our weather over the past 3 months, what do the statistics show across the state, and what can we expect as we enter the spring? Our Winter Patterns In our winter outlook…

Feb 3, 2022

Rain, Ice, and Snow Had Us Covered in January

In all its forms, precipitation piled up in a wet January, although drought remains in some areas. Cool weather also reversed our warm December pattern – but how long will it stick around? Frozen Precipitation Fuels a Wet Month The skies opened up and brought a variety of precipitation types, which added up to make…
The December 2021 temperature summary infographic, highlighting the monthly average temperature, departure from normal, and comparison to historical and recent years

Jan 4, 2022

Unwrapping an Unseasonably Warm December

Holiday heat headlined our historically warm December, and despite late-month rainfall, it was a dry month overall. We also check in on how La Niña has shaped our weather so far this winter. Year-End Temperatures Set Records A winter wonderland, it wasn’t. Cool temperatures were scarce last month, yielding one of our warmest Decembers on…
A map of global sea surface temperature anomalies in October 2021

Nov 9, 2021

Winter Outlook 2021-22: La Niña, Take Two?

It’s not even Thanksgiving yet, but for some meteorologists, it’s feeling a bit like Groundhog Day. For the second year in a row, a La Niña event is developing as we head into the winter, leaving us to wonder how — or even if — it will affect our weather. Last year’s event never produced…
Winter 2020-2021 Snow Accmulation

Mar 16, 2021

Winter Recap 2020-21: La Niña Lays Low in a Persistent Wet Winter

Chalk it up to atmospheric anomalies or a forecast without foresight. Either way, this winter defied expectations and drenched most of North Carolina for yet another season. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, the three-month period from December 2020 through February 2021 ranked as our 13th-wettest winter since 1895 based on the statewide average precipitation…

Nov 18, 2020

Winter Outlook 2020-21: La Niña Has Landed

For the ninth year in a row, we’re proud to share our winter outlook for North Carolina. This year, the atmosphere has offered up a clear indication of the main large-scale pattern at play entering the winter: a fast-forming La Niña during in the fall. The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is one of the most…