Skip to main content
Persistent Heat Makes For a Sizzling July

heat

Nov 6, 2019

The Heat Backed Off and Rain Picked Up in October

October began with hundred-degree heat, but a mid-month pattern change brought some relief from the heat and widespread rainfall that led to drought improvement. Record Heat Drives a Warm Month Yes, the calendar may have said it was October, but early last month felt more like July as temperatures hit the 100-degree mark in parts…

Oct 3, 2019

A Hot, Dry September Sees Drought’s Rapid Return

The calendar says it’s fall but it still feels like summer. Our September temperatures were warm, our precipitation was generally light after Hurricane Dorian, and drought is back in North Carolina. Can’t Beat the Heat Summer-like temperatures have persisted well into the fall this year, making it one of our warmest Septembers in recent memory.…

Aug 2, 2019

A Fryin’ July: Temperatures Soar in a Mid-Summer Heat Wave

Headlined by a week of often-oppressive heat for humans and crops alike, July was marked by warm temperatures and scattered but near-normal rainfall. In this climate summary, we also turn our attention to the tropical Atlantic in a hurricane season update. Summer Heat Sizzles A mid-month spell of hot weather punctuated what was a warm…

Jun 4, 2019

A Hot, Dry May Sees Drought Return

Sizzling summer temperatures and widespread dry weather made for a scorching May that saw drought emerge in a potentially unlikely area. The Heat is On We didn’t have to wait for the start of meteorological summer on June 1 to feel summer-like heat across the state. Unseasonably warm temperatures over the past month culminated in…

Jun 4, 2018

May Was Hot and Humid with Heavy Rains

Between torrential flood-causing rainfall and warm, humid weather, it was an active and often uncomfortable May weather-wise. Our latest climate summary takes a look at the past month in North Carolina, including an interesting observation from one of our stations. Record-Setting Rainfall This year’s April showers continued into May, as widespread rainfall produced our wettest…

Aug 3, 2017

The State Bakes During a Warm, Dry July

July featured the hottest weather of the year and a widespread lack of rainfall that helped Abnormally Dry conditions emerge for the first time in several months. High Heat Hits Mid-Month The summer heat sizzled last month, with the statewide average temperature of 78.10°F ranking as our 29th-warmest July out of the past 123 years.…

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…

Sep 19, 2016

Summer Recap and Fall Outlook: How Long Will the Warm Weather Last?

Shorter days and the emergence of pumpkin spice everything are sure signals that we’re entering the fall. In fact, meteorological fall began on September 1, but you wouldn’t have known it from the thermometer readings alone. Indeed, North Carolina’s summer was perhaps best defined by the persistence of above-normal temperatures that stretched from June through…

Aug 1, 2016

Persistent Heat Makes For a Sizzling July

Above-normal temperatures were a mainstay during the past month, leading to one of North Carolina’s warmest Julys on record. The Heat Hangs On All Month The statewide average temperature of 79.28°F ranks as the 6th-warmest July since 1895. The heat was all-encompassing, as most weather stations recorded one of their top five warmest Julys on…