Could NC get some wintery weather on Thanksgiving? What to expect during the holiday weekend
Ahead of Thanksgiving, many around the country are bracing for an arctic blast setting at the start of the holiday weekend.
The “arctic outbreak will arrive in the northern Rockies and northern Plains on Thanksgiving into Friday and advance farther south and east through much of the Plains and Midwest this weekend,” according to the National Weather Service. It will come with dangerous windchills, lake effect snow and severe thunderstorms.
Forecasts indicate that there could be chance of rain and thunderstorms in Charlotte, Raleigh and other parts of North Carolina — but no snow.
“We’re going to be on the warm side of the storm, which will track through the Ohio Valley and into the Northeast,” Phil Badgett, lead meteorologist for the NWS Forecast Office in Raleigh, told The Observer.
“It’s just going to be a storm system that is going to bring a big pattern change. Even though it’s not going to snow on Thanksgiving, it’s going to turn really cold this weekend throughout the entire state.”
How cold will it get during Thanksgiving weekend?
On Thanksgiving Day, temperatures will be in lower 50s in the mountains and in the lower 70s on the coast, Badgett explained, but it’ll be much cooler for the rest of the holiday weekend.
“Saturday and Sunday looks like lows will be in the teens in the mountains with highs only in the upper 20s and 30s this weekend. So that will be the coldest location by far, which could stay below freezing day and night over the weekend,” he said.
“On the coast, it looks like lows around 30 and highs around 50 or so.”
Thanksgiving Day weather forecasts
Here’s what local National Weather Service forecast offices say (as of Tuesday afternoon):
▪ Raleigh’s forecast: On Thanksgiving Day, showers are likely with thunderstorms possible after 4 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68. Wind gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Overnight, there’s a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
▪ Charlotte’s forecast: On Thanksgiving Day, showers are likely and there’s possibly a thunderstorm before 11 a.m. with a chance of showers and thunderstorms after. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67. Wind gusts as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Overnight, there’s a chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11 p.m., then a slight chance of showers between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Chance of snowfall this winter
North Carolina is expected to have “above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation overall, with fewer chances of wintry weather,” according to the North Carolina State Climate Office’s winter outlook.
“We expect few wintry precipitation events, consistent with recent downward snowfall trends tied to climate change and in line with La Niña’s typical impacts,” the report says.
If there’s any hope for snow lovers, it may be that the last inch-or-more snow events across much of the state happened in January 2022 – smack dab in the middle of another La Niña winter, when the typical warm and dry pattern broke in favor of a cooler and wetter one.
“January may be the decisive month this winter. If we briefly shift to a wetter pattern at our climatological coldest time of year, that could potentially bring an end to both our meteorological drought and the stubborn snow drought. But if January stays dry, then we could see drought stick around to start the spring, particularly if spring-like temperatures start early again next year.”
When did it last snow in NC?
Aside from the mountain areas, North Carolina has rarely seen any snow in recent years. According to the state climate office, most parts have been “going on three years with no measurable snowfall.”
“Asheville and Charlotte have already set new records for their longest snow-free streaks. Other Piedmont sites including Greensboro, Raleigh and Monroe would set new record-long streaks if this winter finishes without any measurable snow,” the report says.
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