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Summer Surges Ahead in a Hot, Dry July

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A photo of lightning damage to a roadway in Oakboro, NC

Aug 3, 2022

A Warm, Wet July Extends Our Steamy Summer

The heat held on in July, joined by locally heavy rainfall that improved drought conditions. We also review recent weather using the new Almanac feature in our Station Scout tool. The Peak of Summer Heat Climatologically speaking, July is our hottest month of the year, and last month indeed saw the temperatures dialed up, even…
An aerial photo of a bridge over water in eastern North Carolina

Jul 21, 2022

Our Curious Coast: Adaptation and Resilience

If this blog post series so far has taught us anything, it’s that in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain, the land has always been in a delicate dance with water, from the sea’s retreat millions of years ago through the carving and shifting of our coastal rivers over hundreds of thousands of years to the erosion…
A photo of the sun over Albemarle Sound

Jul 13, 2022

Our Curious Coast: Geography and Coastal Climate

Parts of North Carolina’s coast offer the opportunity for a rare view, at least within the continental United States. Along the narrow Outer Banks, gazing through the seagrass and beyond the sandy shore, you can watch the sun rise along the eastern horizon, glistening in the waves that roil the Atlantic Ocean. Later that day…
A photo of low water levels at Pig Basket Creek in Nash County

Jun 30, 2022

Summer Starts with Scarce Rain, Sizzling Heat in June

Our scattered showers were exactly that last month, while our temperatures turned up during two stretches of extreme heat. Both have caused expanding dryness and drought across North Carolina. Dry Weather Dominates Rain was tough to come by last month, and as a result, we had our driest June in more than three decades. The…
A chart showing the historical hottest temperature occurrence, by month, for Raleigh

Sep 13, 2021

Climate Curiosities: When the Dog Days are the Doggonest

After sliding through this June and July with relatively few hot days, it may have seemed like we were out of the woods when it came to summer’s highest heat. But then came August and hundred-degree temperatures in the eastern Piedmont and Sandhills. Existing datasets tell us that our hottest weather typically occurs in July,…
The August 2021 temperature summary infographic, highlighting the monthly average temperature, departure from normal, and comparison to historical and recent years

Sep 3, 2021

A Slow-Starting Summer Heated Up in August

Steamy summer weather settled in during August, while Fred’s heavy rain made for a wet month. That wrapped up a summer notable for its tropical rainfall and drought disappearance. Hot Weather Blankets the State The warmest weather of the year so far waited until August to arrive. The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) reports…
A screenshot of the AIR tool showing hourly PM2.5 concentrations, winds, and a satellite-derived smoke analysis at 3 pm on July 21, 2021

Aug 16, 2021

AIR Tool Offers Air Quality and Weather Data, in Detail

The State Climate Office and the North Carolina Division of Air Quality (NCDAQ) have partnered to build a new monitoring tool for those times when there’s something in the air, whether that’s a simmering summer afternoon, a gray and hazy evening, or even the hours after a holiday celebration. (Don’t worry, we’ll explain that one!)…

Sep 3, 2020

Tropical Air and Tropical Storms Make for a Warm, Wet August

August in North Carolina began and ended with rain from tropical systems, and there was plenty of rain in between as well. Temperatures remained warmer as we closed out a warm, wet summer that was noteworthy for a few reasons. Widespread Wet Weather North Carolina took a soaking throughout August, accumulating a statewide average precipitation of 7.84 inches, according to…

Aug 3, 2020

Summer Surges Ahead in a Hot, Dry July

After a cool June, hot weather arrived in July, while generally limited precipitation saw Abnormally Dry conditions return in North Carolina — but for how long? A Month of Melting Heat Our string of three consecutive cooler-than-normal months in April, May, and June came to an abrupt ending last month with the arrival of summer’s supreme sizzle. According to the National Centers for Environmental…