The weather in North Carolina can be a roller coaster…to put it mildly! Spring is a transitional season where we see all types of weather: cold, hot, rainy and even severe potential.
What you need to know Spring starts on March 20
A first cool spring day is expected
Overall above average temperatures are likely throughout the spring
February brought above average temperatures across the state. Some records have been absolutely broken. So it’s no surprise that the flowers bloomed and the pollen covered our cars. It felt like spring and, minus the pollen, most people loved it!
The past week has provided an unwelcome reality check. Cooler than average temperatures and winter precipitation returned as if nothing had happened.
They technically belonged – it’s winter again! While climatological spring began on March 1, astronomical spring and the vernal equinox have yet to arrive.
There are two equinoxes in the year: one in spring and the other in autumn. This year, the vernal equinox occurs at 5:24 p.m. EDT on Monday, March 20.
You can think of the equinox as “equal”: day and night are roughly the same length. In Raleigh, sunrise is around 7:19 a.m. and sunset around 7:26 a.m. on the first day of spring.
The weather looks cooler than average for early spring, but conditions remain dry across the state.
What can we expect for spring as a whole? The Climate Prediction Center’s three-month temperature forecast shows warmer-than-average weather is likely in North Carolina and much of the Southeast. The precipitation outlook shows equal chances of wet, dry or normal from April to June.
Enjoy the first day of spring and the months to come!
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