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I've been keeping an eye on the daily high and low temps for Raleigh and comparing it to our Michigan temps. Up until the last couple of weeks, we have had a relatively mild winter with highs ranging from mid-30's to high 40's and even a few 50's with very little snow. Now we are having more typical 20's and 30's with several inches of snow. I see that Raleigh has had highs ranging from mostly mid-40's to mid-60's. Is that typical for December and January? Is Raleigh also having a milder winter than normal?
Yep, it's been mild. We typically have highs in the 30's for at least 3 straight weeks in January. The longest cold snap we've had so far has been just 3 or 4 days.
This is only my 2nd winter here but it's much milder than last year. There are stretches this year where my heat hardly runs at all once it gets to be about 11 a.m. I know it's warmer up north though too.
I lived in NW Ohio (and MN before that) for a long time, and here's my take on NC winter. January is not a great month anywhere (unless you're in FL or SoCal). Where NC weather "pays you back" is in Nov, Dec, Feb, and March. That's when you'll really notice your friends and family in MI complaining about snow and cold, and you'll be in the 60s or 70s.
Yes, very mild, but Feb and March can be very cold for NC standards, so we're not out of the woods yet!
I think you are on to something. I heard Greg Fischel (Meteorologist on WRAL) explain the other day that when we (The Triangle) have such mild winters it usually means that the spring months are cooler than usual too. So Spring may be a bit of a dud this year with us jsut having a quick transition from a mild winter right into a hot summer.
Yep, it's been mild. We typically have highs in the 30's for at least 3 straight weeks in January. The longest cold snap we've had so far has been just 3 or 4 days.
I wouldn't say that's normal either. Highs in the 30's for at least three straight weeks? Our coldest average high temperature at RDU is 49 degrees and that's only for about 10 days in January. We've never had more than 3 straight days with high's at least not reaching 40 since I've been here over the last 6 years.
While I certainly think high's in the 30's for a week or two straight would be possible, I would dare say that's normal for here. More like high's in the 40's for 3-4 straight weeks with some 50's & 60's sprinkled in for a few days. That would be a more typical January. With that being said, it's hit 60 degrees or more for at least a few days in January every single year I've been here.
To answer the OP's question, yes it's been a mild winter for us.
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