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Debby’s Deluge, Late-August Heat Ends a Summer of Extremes

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A photo of a bee flying above a sunflower at Dix Park in Raleigh

Aug 3, 2026

Holiday Heat Gave Way to Wet Weather in July

After hundred-degree temperatures early on, July ended with soaking rainfall that has improved, but not eliminated, drought conditions across the state. A Warm Month With a Sizzling Start Despite a late-month cooldown, our early heat waves cemented this as an overall warm July in North Carolina. The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) reports a…
A photo of storm clouds over a road in Person County, NC, on May 26, 2026

Jun 4, 2026

Rain Returns in May As a Hot, Dry Spring Wraps Up

May brought widespread rainfall and some drought relief, along with typical temperatures for this time of year. However, spring was warm and dry overall, leaving us looking for better rain chances later this year. A Precipitation Bounceback A long-awaited round of rainfall late in the month made this a near-normal May in terms of precipitation.…
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 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 photo of small barn in Reidsville with sunny blue skies overhead

Oct 6, 2025

Drought Digs Back in During a Storm-Sapped September

Limited rainfall brought drought back last month, while our temperatures were mostly typical for the first month of fall. Last month had a quiet start but a busy end in the tropics, as we discuss in our hurricane season update. Note: Due to the federal government shutdown, statewide statistics and rankings from the National Centers…
A photo of the sunset at Topsail Island with a rain shower visible in the distance

Aug 5, 2025

Summer Sizzles in a Stormy, Steamy July

July saw a wet start including Tropical Storm Chantal and month-long warmth, especially overnight. To help communities prepare for hot weather like that, an Extreme Heat Cohort is being offered again this year. Chantal Leads a Storm-Soaked Month Our first tropical event of the season, plus plenty of other rainy days, made for an overall…
A photo of the sun in a hazy, cloudy sky over the Outer Banks on June 1

Jul 7, 2025

June Started Wet, Ended Hot with Active Air Quality

June was warm overall thanks to a late-month heat wave and mostly wet due to early-month showers and storms. It also saw several air quality hazards, as revealed by our recent AIR tool updates. Building to a Summer Sizzle Boosted by a late-month heat wave, last month was our state’s warmest June since 2018. The…
A photo of Salem Lake near sunset on April 26

May 5, 2025

Summer Heat Debuts, Showers Become Shy in April

April featured unseasonable warmth and an uncharacteristic lack of rain showers and severe weather. That has extended our drought with new impacts emerging last month. A Summer-Like Warm-Up With above-normal temperatures night and day for most of the month, this finished among our warmest Aprils on record in North Carolina. The National Centers for Environmental…
A photo of hazy skies over Whiteside Mountain on August 27

Sep 4, 2024

Debby’s Deluge, Late-August Heat Ends a Summer of Extremes

August was wet for most of North Carolina thanks to Debby’s rainfall, while temperatures peaked in the final week of the month. That ended a roller coaster summer with extremes of all sorts. Doused by Debby, but Dry in the West Our August precipitation was dominated by Tropical Storm Debby’s contribution, which single-handedly made for…