Boy oh boy could we have a historical week of weather on tap this week. Almost all this week and into the weekend will be well above average temperature-wise. However, this won’t be like your average winter-time warm spell. No, this one look to be historic. Thursday’s temperature outlook is the one that looks especially groundbreaking and possibly record-shattering.
According to the National Weather Service’s (NWS) climatological archives, the warmest temperature ever recorded in the RDU region, for the month of February, is 84 F in 1977. The record for the warmest temperature for the date 2/23, on Thursday, is 79 degrees F in 1980. The projected high temperature in Chapel Hill on Thursday is 85 degrees F according to the NWS, as of 2/20/23. You read that right. Eighty-five degrees, in February! The NWS is projecting the high on Thursday will be that of the average high temperature in early June! It looks like there’s no doubt that we’ll have record-breaking conditions that day that will look to rewrite the record books.
Other abnormally warm days include Wednesday and Sunday where it looks like it will break the 70-degree marker. However, we’ll see a seasonable chill return for Saturday along with a rain chance. The rain looks like it will possibly trickle over to Sunday as well, with the temperatures rising back up to 10/15 degrees above average. As of the time of writing this, I am 5/6 days away from this weekend’s forecast, so make to check out our Wednesday 11:30 AM broadcast on Facebook (@carolinaweek) and stay tuned to the forecast for any changes that are made concerning this rain event as we get closer to the dates. Additionally, another rain chance is possible early next week, which is again about a week or so away from the writing of this article, so make sure to stay updated on the most up-to-date forecasts.
Overall, the relatively warm winter we have been seeing will continue this week and for most of the weekend, so if you’re hanging onto the hope that the RDU region sneaks in a late-season snow event, you’re better off looking to next winter. For now, enjoy the unseasonably warm weather we’ve been seeing and are looking to continue to see this week and into next week.
Again, make sure to check out our Wednesday newscast at 11:30 AM EST on Facebook (@carolinaweek)!
Also, make sure to check out my Twitter for more weather information, specifically for the RDU region (@cory_kowitz)!