February starts warm, but could it end with a wintry blast in NC? Forecasters’ predictions
READ MORE
What to know about cold weather & winter storms
Here’s everything to know about super cold weather and winter storms headed our way: forecasts, power outages, closings, snow cameras, winter prep, safety and more.
Expand All
It’s been a wild winter in North Carolina so far: a warm December and then a chilly, snowy January.
As Punxsutawney Phil indicated on Sunday, we have six more weeks of winter coming. That’s true whether the toothsome rodent sees his shadow or not, since Feb. 3 is exactly halfway through the season that started Dec. 21, 2024, and ends March 20, 2025.
We consulted our non-marmot sources for a quick look back over the winter we’ve been through and to learn what February might bring.
January really was that cold
If your utility bills have landed, you know that January 2025 was colder than average across central and Eastern North Carolina.
Despite the end-of-the-month bonus on Jan. 31 when the temperature at Raleigh-Durham International Airport reached 76 degrees, the average temperature throughout January was 38.7 degrees at RDU, which is 3.2 degrees below average, the National Weather Service said.
The average high was 48.9 degrees, which is 3 degrees below the average. The coldest temperature of the month at RDU was a shivering 16 degrees early on the morning of Jan. 23.
A February to warm the heart
February is expected to swing the other way, starting this week.
Except for Wednesday, when there may be some rain and a high of around 55 degrees, temperatures in central and Eastern North Carolina through the week are expected to be in the 60s and 70s, occasionally pushing 80 degrees, according the the NWS forecast. That’s well above normal.
In fact, the Climate Prediction Center, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, all of North Carolina is likely to see higher-than-average temperatures through the month of February.
According to Weather Service records, February in Raleigh typically starts out with high temperatures in the low to mid- 50s, working toward highs in the upper 50s by the end of the month.
Could Raleigh still get snow in February? Almanacs predict ‘yes’
As long as it’s still winter, we have to ask: Is there any chance of snow?
There is nothing frosty in the National Weather Service forecast, which only looks seven days out.
But the Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts snow between Feb. 19 and 26 for the Southeast, including North Carolina, followed by very cold temperatures on Feb. 27-28.
Its competitor, the Farmers’ Almanac, says some wet snow is possible over Presidents’ Day weekend, Feb. 16-19, 2025. It also predicts that a storm will track from the central Gulf to the Mid-Atlantic coast from Feb. 20-23, 2025, and that areas on the north side of the storm’s track could see snow or a wintry mix.
This story was originally published February 4, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
.JPG)
