2025-2026 North Carolina Winter

[MrTropical]

This topic is created for the palm growers of North Carolina to track this winter season. Let's hope for a relatively mild one. Screenshots and weather records are encouraged.

To get things started...last night's minimum for Emerald Isle, N.C. was 65F, but an approaching cold front will quickly bring temperatures down on Monday night into Tuesday (11/11/2025).

Statewide minimums for last night (early morning hours of 11/09/2025):



Statewide maximums for today (11/09/2025):



Forecast statewide minimums for Tuesday (early morning hours of 11/11/2025):



You can access N.C. statewide forecast maps here.

[MrTropical]

Most of eastern N.C. has been upgraded to freeze warnings, except for Carteret & Dare counties. Maritime influence may be enough to keep temperatures at or just above 32F. Inland counties to the immediate west have the potential to drop down into the mid-20s F. 



We'll see if this gets upgraded to a warning. I've already brought in several community pots of Washingtonia here in Carteret County. 

[MrTropical]

Rogue snow showers in the southern coastal plain...



How far east will they travel? We shall see.

[kinzyjr]

Hope they stay west of I-95.

[MrTropical]

32 minutes ago, kinzyjr said:

Hope they stay west of I-95.

You & me both. Welp, it looks like they've cleared Lumberton & Fayetteville and are now east of I-95. Not sure how far this band of snow will make it, but if flurries hit Wilmington, it would be the earliest instance on record. 

[PAPalmtrees]

Man it's been a crazy day Over the south and Midwest

[MrTropical]

It happened.



The snow showers missed the Crystal Coast, but Wilmington and the counties surrounding the city lucked out tonight. 

[JohnAndSancho]

Is it too cold for y'all to raise up, take your shirts off, and twist it round your head like a helicopter? 

 

I will never not make this joke when NC is mentioned. 

[MrTropical]

2 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Is it too cold for y'all to raise up, take your shirts off, and twist it round your head like a helicopter? 

 

I will never not make this joke when NC is mentioned. 

LOL - glad to see mention of that song is alive & well. 
 

 

[MrTropical]

From the NWS office in Wilmington...

https://www.weather.gov/ilm/2025Nov10flurries

Lumberton & Wilmington have set new records for earliest instance of snow. Lumberton officially recorded 0.1 inches, and Wilmington recorded a trace amount at the local airport. 
 

[JohnAndSancho]

20 hours ago, MrTropical said:

LOL - glad to see mention of that song is alive & well. 
 

 

This one's for us us us 

[ZPalms]

As far as its been for me, Its still been very mild, none of my palms have been covered yet, not that I haven't been preparing for deep winter but for November Id normally have everything already covered by this time.

[MrTropical]

Well, after a relatively mild stretch for much of the state, winter will make its return late this week! 

Early morning hours of 11/28/2025 : 
 


Early morning hours of 11/29/2025 :

[ZPalms]

2 hours ago, MrTropical said:

Well, after a relatively mild stretch for much of the state, winter will make its return late this week! 

Early morning hours of 11/28/2025 : 
 


Early morning hours of 11/29/2025 :

For late November its been nice having very fair temperatures, nothing too crazy, winter still around the corner, I think it may be an easy one.

[SeanK]

Who in NC has seen snow this far?

[MrTropical]

Minimums for N.C. early this morning. Coldest air of the season thus far...

[MrTropical]

You all have already seen the forecast, it's not looking good for NC this weekend...please stay safe everyone. 

Beyond the expected snow & ice, bitter cold temperatures will arrive early next week.
This is the minimums forecast for next Monday in central NC. Low teens closer to the coast. 

[kinzyjr]

Hope you all, and your gardens, are safe and warm.

[PAPalmtrees]

The forecast everywhere east of the rockies is bad right now. i hope everyone's gardens will be okay

2 hours ago, MrTropical said:

You all have already seen the forecast, it's not looking good for NC this weekend...please stay safe everyone. 

Beyond the expected snow & ice, bitter cold temperatures will arrive early next week.
This is the minimums forecast for next Monday in central NC. Low teens closer to the coast. 

 

[JohnAndSancho]

It's gonna be too cold to take your shirt off, twist it round your head and spin it like a helicopter. 

[MrTropical]

Snow totals from the weekend winter storm...

From the NWS office in Newport...



From Eric Webb (Webber Weather)

[SeanK]

A lot for the low country.

[NC-Key-Bar]

Sharing the lowest temps my home station recorded.  Just SE of Raleigh.
12.9F maximum low
A few nights right at 15F (probably 3 in 2026)?
And the December 15th low of 14.8 - I would argue to say this did more damage than anything.  that low started burning Washingtonias, and they just have gone downhill since.

My windmills, butias, chamaerops, and most all sabals are fine.  I had a few small ones get burned up (I think)
S. palmetto pictured on Feb 4th - 48 hours after 13F.  The matches the lowest temp seen last year as well.

[Aceraceae]

Was there really 20 inches of snow on the ground in eastern NC and more than an inch on the beach in Buxton on Cape Hatteras, 

or are these precipitation as it falls measurements? Which are always higher. 

[JLM]

38 minutes ago, Aceraceae said:

Was there really 20 inches of snow on the ground in eastern NC and more than an inch on the beach in Buxton on Cape Hatteras, 

or are these precipitation as it falls measurements? Which are always higher. 

These are real observations.

Radar estimated snowfall totals would be a lot harder to get than radar estimated rainfall totals. You would need to know exactly what the snow to liquid ratio is in any given location. Then, using radar estimated rainfall, you could get a general estimate of how much snow might have fallen. Sometimes the snowfall rates can be higher or lower than what the radar would suggest, which can alter any estimate by quite a lot. This is why the NWS relies so heavily on ground truth during events like this, and other types of events as well.