Sleet & freezing rain in Raleigh, central NC forecast. Here’s when & where we could see it
Note: Read the latest forecast for Tuesday, Feb. 11, here.
Raleigh and central North Carolina could get sleet or freezing rain early this week, then rain off and on through the weekend, forecasters say.
Here’s what the National Weather Service says may be coming.
Sleet is possible Tuesday morning
The National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather outlook for central North Carolina beginning Tuesday, Feb. 11.
As of Monday, Feb. 10, forecasters said it looks increasingly likely there will be a brief burst of sleet Tuesday morning in Raleigh and the Triangle — especially along the Interstate 85 corridor — but the precipitation should quickly switch over to freezing rain and then rain.
Between Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning, a half-inch to an inch of rain could fall in Raleigh, and more is possible in areas to the north toward the Virginia line.
The National Weather Service says the ground is likely too warm for any frozen precipitation to stick and create serious issues on roads. That’s a completely different situation from the two winter-weather events in January, when Arctic air had been in place for days before moisture rolled in.
The mountains of North Carolina and Virginia are expected to get snow and sleet starting early Tuesday morning and continuing off and on through midnight Tuesday, but forecasters are uncertain about how far east and south the frozen precipitation will reach.
Ice is possible again Tuesday night, Wednesday morning
Some forecast models show temperatures dropping low enough again Tuesday night and early Wednesday along I-85 to produce more ice. Forecasters said that scenario doesn’t appear likely, but is worth mentioning.
More probable, forecasters said, is that temperatures in Raleigh and central NC will stay just above freezing Tuesday night and Wednesday, resulting in “nothing more than a cold rain.”
Rain will continue across the region off and on through the day Wednesday, with another half-inch to inch possible between Wednesday morning through Thursday morning, according to forecasts. Isolated flooding is possible in low-lying areas.
Rain is expected again on Thursday, mostly before 1 p.m., but temperatures should be a bit warmer, forecasters said. Thursday’s highs in Raleigh and central NC could be in the lower 60s.
Friday will be the one sunny break for the week, with a high around 49 degrees, the Weather Service said. Rain will come back on Saturday and Sunday, but temperatures will be warmer, climbing to the mid-50s on Saturday and the mid-60s on Sunday.
North Carolina is in drought
The wet weather this week could be considered welcome, as all of North Carolina showed abnormally dry or in drought in the most recent Drought Monitor map, released Feb. 6. Parts or all of 13 counties in the state were in severe drought as of Feb. 4, the report showed.
This story was originally published February 10, 2025 at 12:00 PM.
