Our prediction of warmer weather in February – consistent with recent trends, particularly during La Niña events – also panned out, and we even gave a nod to the 80-degree weather in mid-February 2018, which foreshadowed the similar conditions this year.Īll in all, we can say that this winter largely matched our expectations, perhaps because the long-lasting La Niña gave us plenty of experiences to base them on. On March 7, a brush fire burned 3,500 acres on Camp Lejeune, and the following day, nearly 300 acres burned in Cumberland County, which prompted the evacuation of 10 homes. Warm, windy weather in those dry areas also created some early-spring fire activity, as we cautioned in our outlook. US Drought Monitor maps from December 6, 2022, (left) and March 21, 2023, (right) for North Carolina. La Niña’s grip on the jet streams – which often retreat to the north and keep storm systems away from our coastline – did relax long enough in late January and early February for drought to fade, although Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions persisted across the Coastal Plain for most of the winter, and Moderate Drought (D1) recently returned in parts of eastern North Carolina. In keeping with its typical impacts, we expected an overall warmer and drier-than-normal winter, along with one less favorable for wintry events. In our winter outlook issued last November, we noted the remarkable nature of the ongoing La Niña pattern, sticking around for its third consecutive winter. The nearby Hawksnest snow tubing resort closed on February 24-26 due to rain and “diminished conditions” before closing for the season on February 27, citing “continued warmer temperatures and lack of snow.” A By-the-Book La Niña In the northern Mountains, Banner Elk had 12.8 inches compared to an average of 31.4 inches. If they don’t get any more snow in March or April, then this will rank as the least snowy winter season there since 1980, breaking the previous record of 28.5 inches from 2001-02. Mount Mitchell, which averages 89.1 inches of snow annually, received only 19.9 inches this year. Total accumulated snowfall from November 2022 through March 2023.Įven on our state’s highest peaks, the snow was tough to come by. For a location that averages 10.3 inches of snow per year, and had 10.9 inches just last year, this winter was a swing and a miss. This was only the second winter since 1965, joining 2011-12, with no measurable snowfall there. The lack of snow in Asheville was even more surprising. In Greensboro, it was the first snowless winter since back-to-back snow-free years in 1990-92. For Charlotte, this was the 9th winter since 1940 with no accumulating snow, with the previous occurrence in 2011-12. In Raleigh, it was the 10th winter since 1944 with no measurable snowfall, and the first since 2005-06. With few cold air blasts to support frozen precipitation, it ended up being a snowless winter across most of the Piedmont and Coastal Plain, and even the Mountains had limited accumulations for the season. Manteo (-2.29 inches), Morehead City (-2.04 inches), Washington (-2.40 inches) were all below normal for the season as well. (Data from The Climate Toolbox)Ĭharlotte was 3.17 inches above normal in its 41st-wettest winter on record, while Raleigh was 0.33 inches below normal for the season.ĭown east, Wilmington was 3.22 inches below normal and tied for its 33rd-driest winter in the past 144 years. Percent of normal precipitation during winter 2022-23. Locally, it ranked as the 3rd-warmest winter in Greenville, Raleigh, and Wilson the 4th-warmest in Greensboro and Hickory and the 5th-warmest in Asheboro, Elizabeth City, and Wilmington based on long-term records at all sites. While our pre-Christmas cold snap moderated December’s average temperature as our 61st-coolest on record, it was followed by our 8th-warmest January and 3rd-warmest February dating back to 1895. That was 3.9☏ warmer than the 1991 to 2020 average.

This climatological winter, from December 1 to February 28, ranked as our 4th-warmest on record based on the statewide average temperature of 46.7☏, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. In this look back on the winter that wasn’t, we review the seasonal rankings and snowfall totals, revisit our winter outlook, and look ahead to a spring without La Niña.

A few cold days before Christmas were the only taste of winter many areas felt all season, as warm and often spring-like weather dominated the season overall in North Carolina.

Snowfall totals map