North Carolina Bracing for Arctic Blast of Weather
Much of the U.S. has been experiencing cold temperatures to kick off 2025, and North Carolina is getting a bit of that trend, too. Of course, in the winter months, the temperatures always dip, but this winter is unique in that it’s been just so frigidly cold throughout much of the country, even in areas that aren’t used to getting hit with winter weather. It comes as a surprise, too, because November was quite mild throughout the country. Then, December started to get colder, and now, the U.S. is finding itself in the midst of an arctic blast. Now, the area is gearing up for cold air to move into the area, and this could be the coldest period of the season.
North Carolina Getting Colder Weather
So, why is the U.S. getting all these frigid temperatures, which are even more frigid than normal, and record-breaking winds? It’s all in the weather pattern. The 2024-25 winter season is having a La Niña weather pattern, which brings much colder temperatures and more snowfall. According to the National Weather Service, a La Niña season “refers to the periodic cooling of sea-surface temperatures across the east-central equatorial Pacific.”
Of course, last winter wasn’t quite like this when it came to cold temperatures. Last winter, for much of the U.S., the weather was very mild and even warm. The 2023-24 winter season was warmer than normal because of its El Niño weather pattern, which according to the National Weather Service refers to “above-average sea-surface temperatures that periodically develop across the east-central equatorial Pacific,” and “it represents the warm phase of the ENSO cycle.” As someone who loves warm weather, I’d be happy to have an El Niño weather pattern every winter, but that just doesn’t happen.
Let’s talk about North Carolina. This winter’s temperatures have already been brutally cold the past few weeks, and that trend is looking to continue and even dip more. For North Carolina, the 10-day weather forecast from the Weather Channel, which gives an overview of the state’s weather, projects lows in the teens for Fayetteville on Tuesday, January 21, and Wednesday, January 22, as well as highs in the upper-20s. For Charlotte, the forecast calls for lows in the teens on Monday, January 20, and Tuesday, January 21, with highs in the 30s. So, it’s going to be very cold for the area. By the end of the week, it gets a little warmer, but now much, so there’s really not much relief in sight.
