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After Matthew, Fall-Like Weather Finally Arrives

All Climate Blog Posts

Feb 1, 2017

January’s Frigid Start Gives Way to Milder Weather

Following an early-month shot of wintry weather, conditions warmed up while we also chipped away at the ongoing drought. After an Early Chill, Warmer Weather Arrived Despite seeing some of the coldest temperatures in nearly three years in the wake of a snow event early in the month, last month as a whole was a…

Jan 9, 2017

Rapid Reaction: Wintry One-Two Punch Brings Frozen Precip. and Frigid Air

The first winter storm of the season for most of North Carolina brought widely varied impacts across the state, with more than 10 inches of snow in the Triad, a wintry mix in the Triangle and Charlotte, and a run-of-the-mill rain event along the coast. That was followed by the coldest air of the season…

Jan 4, 2017

Variable Temperatures and Rainfall Adorn December’s Weather Mantle

Last month saw a temperature roller coaster as well as near- to slightly below-normal rainfall across most of the state. Temperatures Take a Topsy-Turvy Sleigh Ride Unlike last December, which had record-setting warm weather throughout the month, last month had a mix of warm and cooler days that averaged out to be slightly warmer than…

Dec 21, 2016

Record Snow or No? Behind the Scenes of a Record Event Review

Last year on our blog, we covered many of North Carolina’s historical extreme weather events, including the state record snowfall — 36 inches in 24 hours — from Mount Mitchell during the so-called “Storm of the Century” in March of 1993. Given the well-timed convergence of potent ingredients in that event, it’s no surprise that…

Dec 1, 2016

Dry Weather Dominates November Across North Carolina

Much of the state received less than an inch of rain last month, which led to expanding drought and impacts including multiple wildfires. Fall’s First Freeze Ends the 2016 Growing Season Clear skies and sunshine dominated last month, so with few cloudy or rainy days, it’s probably not surprising that our temperatures were above normal.…

Nov 17, 2016

The SCOfficial 2016-17 Winter Outlook

This is the third and final part of our 2016-17 Winter Outlook series including our expectations for this winter. Freezing temperatures finally arrived across much of the state within the past week, which means that winter is on its way. What sort of weather can we expect in North Carolina? In this post, we’ll review…

Nov 15, 2016

La Niña, Other Atmospheric Patterns Set to Shape Our Winter Weather

This is the second part of our 2016-17 Winter Outlook series. Our office’s winter predictions are available in our Winter Outlook post. While forecasts from folklore can provide an interesting take on our possible winter weather, long-range forecasting is more than just bugs and books. Several large-scale atmospheric patterns including the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, Siberian…

Nov 10, 2016

Folklore-Based Forecasts Offer Little Consensus for this Winter

Our 2016-17 Winter Outlook series includes three posts beginning today and concluding on November 17 with our office’s predictions for the winter. The signs of the changing seasons are all around us, from falling leaves to first fall frosts. Before the days of scientific seasonal forecasts, these observations from nature were the main source of…

Nov 1, 2016

After Matthew, Fall-Like Weather Finally Arrives

The weather news in October was headlined by a single event: Hurricane Matthew. However, after the storm, dry weather took hold for the rest of the month. October Temperatures Above Normal But Still Seasonal Last month’s statewide average temperature of 62.45°F ranks as the 13th-warmest October in North Carolina since 1895. Average maximum, minimum, and…