How cold is it? Triangle is approaching record territory

It’s been cold for a long time and if you’re ready to see a warmup with temperatures, one is on the way.

The Triangle still is in the grips of one of the longest stretches of below-freezing temperatures it has ever experienced.

We’ve had below-freezing temperatures since 2 a.m. on New Year’s Eve, Sunday, Dec. 31. And that’s a record.

There is a little bit of disagreement between WRAL and WTVD meteorologists about the exact length of the previous span of hours with below-freezing temperatures, according to stories on their websites.

WRAL said the record in Raleigh stood at 157 hours and a new mark of 158 hours was set with Saturday’s 3 p.m. temperature reading. WTVD said the record was 159 straight hours at RDU International Airport and recognized the new mark at 5 p.m. Saturday. They do agree that the cold snap we’re competing with was Jan. 10-15, 1982.

There is a slim chance that the string will come to an end on Sunday, Jan. 7, when temperatures are expected to reach a high of right around freezing, 32 degrees, but it most likely will happen on Monday. If it stretches to Monday, another mark could be challenged — the all-time record. Twice before in Raleigh there were eight-day stretches (1895 and 1917) when temperatures did not break the freezing mark, WRAL reported. Those temperatures were recorded on a daily basis rather than by the hour.

Monday’s highs could reach the 40s and by Friday it could be in the mid-60s, if not close to 70.

This story was originally published January 6, 2018 at 6:17 PM with the headline "How cold is it? Triangle is approaching record territory."