Recent Posts

A graph of monthly temperature departures from the 1901 to 2000 average for North Carolina in 2023

The Weather Year in Review: The Yin and Yang of 2023

Characterized by evolving large-scale patterns and a variety of conditions across North Carolina, from wet to dry and smoky to stormy, 2023 was an interesting...
A photo of low levels at Jordan Lake, which exposed old roadbeds and home foundations

A Dry Start to November Lets Drought Deepen

Dry weather continued and drought expanded in November, while temperatures ranged from wintry to warm throughout the month. We also close the book on a...
A photo of the Collett Ridge wildfire burning in the mountains of Cherokee County

Drought Digs In During a Bone Dry October

Dry weather dominated October, which led to drought expansion and intensification. Our average temperatures were near normal, balanced by warmer days and a few cool...
A photo of a smoky haze over Winston-Salem on June 6

Rapid Reaction: Smoky Skies Create Unhealthy Air Quality

Our summer started not with sun but smoke last week, which yielded the most widespread hazardous air quality episode seen in many years across the...
A photo of a rainbow over Sunset Beach, NC

Wet Weekends Continue in a Shower-Soaked April

Regular rainfall in April made for a wet month, and continued a string of wet weekends this year. Warm and windy weather also fanned the...
An aerial photo of smoldering on the site of the Last Resort wildfire

A Warm, Dry March Fans the Fire Season’s Flames

March saw stretches of spring-like weather on either side of a cold week, and generally dry conditions across the state that made for an active...
A photo of smoke on Sauratown Mountain

Rapid Reaction: Fire on the Mountains

Amid our worst fall fire season in five years, two wildfires in the past month have stood out from their elevated perches atop the Piedmont’s...
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

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...