Source:Corey Davis, NC CLIMATE OFFICE, 4/2/19


Steadily warming temperatures throughout March, as well as a dry and mostly snow-free month, mean spring is upon us. In this post, we alsolook back at the winter and review our pre-season predictions.

Temperatures Cool But Increasing
The onset of spring slowly became apparent over the past month, although it was still a cooler-than-normal month overall. The preliminary statewide average temperature of 47.6°F ranks as our 37th-coolest March since 1895.

The month began with a brief flirtation with sub-freezing temperatures on March 6 and 7, but after that, we warmed up by mid-monthas highs hit the 70s and even the low 80s across parts of the southern Coastal Plain.
Those above-normal highs were the exception instead of the rule, though. Our temperatures generally ran 1 to 3 degrees below normal, as weak troughing in the polar jet stream to our north helped keep cool -- but not exceptionally cold -- air in place across North Carolina.

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