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Charlotte tied its record-high temperature on Sunday, as the weekend weather felt more like spring in the Carolinas than winter, and people in the region headed outdoors in droves.
The National Weather Service said Charlotte tied its record high of 75 degrees Sunday, last reached in 1960. Highs were in the 70s across much of the state, with even the mountains soaring into the 60s.
Saturday was even warmer. Forecasters said Fayetteville set a record Saturday with a high of 79, breaking the old record of 77 degrees set in 1916. The average high in Fayetteville this time in January is 53 degrees.
According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2012 was the warmest year on record for the lower 48 states. The year contained the warmest spring in history, the second-warmest summer and the fourth-warmest winter.
The average temperature for 2012 was more than a degree hotter than the previous warmest year.
Robert Miller figured the closest he would get to a blizzard this winter was standing in line at Dairy Queen on Sunday.
Two dozen people ate soft serve under a blue sky outside the ice cream shop on Wilkinson Boulevard or stood in a line that stretched to the parking lot around 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
They wore shorts and short sleeves, and the temperature hovered in the low 70s.
“It’s been warm, and I’ve been enjoying it,” Miller said just before ordering two Blizzards, both with chocolate.
“But I think it would be better if it was colder. The weather’s been strange everywhere. They’ve been having a cold snap in San Diego, and the flu season has been worse this year.”
Temperatures will move more toward normal beginning Monday but will be above average this week. Some cold air, however, will begin to filter into the Carolinas.
On Monday, it’ll be rainy, with high temperatures in the mid-60s. The rest of the week will see temperatures in the 50s, though they’ll approach the 60s by next weekend. The Associated Press contributed
