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Five Burning Questions about the Second Half of 2017

global patterns

Feb 6, 2019

January Remains Wet, But the Fire Hose Fizzles

The heavy rain and snow of recent months abated in January, leaving us slightly wet and warm overall. While it has been a wet winter, can we blame El Niño? Make sure to check out our global pattern update. Rain Backs Off and Snow Stays Away After our wettest December on record, nearly everyone in…

Jan 3, 2019

A Drenched December Caps a Record Wet Year

Precipitation continued to be the main story in North Carolina’s weather, including a record wet December that — despite a substantial wintry event early in the month — was also a bit warmer than normal. December’s rainfall wrapped up a wet year that also set records across the state. Snowy to Start, Rainy for the…

Nov 15, 2018

The SCOfficial 2018-19 Winter Outlook

In our previous post, we described the atmospheric patterns that could affect the northern hemisphere jet streams — and therefore our weather — this winter. To recap, an emerging El Niño is likely to have the greatest impact, with wetter-than-normal conditions expected due to its strengthening of the subtropical jet stream. One ENSO-related wildcard is…

Nov 13, 2018

Winter Outlook: A ‘Similar but Different’ El Niño Taking Shape

Today, we kick off our seventh annual winter outlook series by looking at the state of the oceans and atmosphere entering the winter, along with how these features could affect our weather in the coming months. El Niño After last winter’s La Niña event that saw cooler-than-normal sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean,…

Aug 7, 2018

July’s Dry Start Gives Way to a Wet Finish

It was a Jekyll and Hyde weather month in North Carolina as we switched weather patterns midway through July. Our latest climate summary has a closer look at our precipitation swings, moderate temperatures, and an update on ENSO conditions in the Pacific. From Bone Dry to Soaking Wet It was a tale of two halves…

Mar 26, 2018

Winter Recap 2017-18: A Season of Surprises

It was the winter that kept us guessing. Just when we thought our warm fall would persist into 2018, a record-setting cold snap ensued. We thought the large-scale pattern wouldn’t be favorable for wintry weather, yet most of North Carolina received above-normal snowfall. And amid indicators of ongoing dry weather, we actually came out of…

Nov 16, 2017

The SCOfficial 2017-18 Winter Outlook

If you don’t trust the likes of weather folklore with your winter forecast, here’s a closer look at some environmental factors that might influence our weather this winter, followed by some past years with similar conditions, then our office’s winter outlook. Current Conditions El Niño-Southern Oscillation This summer, sea surface temperatures in the central equatorial…

Sep 6, 2017

By the Numbers: August and Summer 2017

In lieu of our typical climate summary post, we’re taking a condensed look at some stats from the past month and season. August Temperatures 75.16°F: August’s average statewide temperature, which was just under a degree below the long-term 1981-2010 average. It ranked as our 50th-coolest August out of the past 123 years. 20 days: The…

Jul 18, 2017

Five Burning Questions about the Second Half of 2017

We’re halfway through 2017, which means winter and spring are history and we’re at roughly the midway point of the summer. As we look ahead to the rest of the year, here are five questions we’re contemplating about North Carolina’s weather. 1. When Will the Extreme Heat Hit? This summer started with a cool June…