The Southeast Regional Climate Center reported '.the Southeast region observed its warmest Februrary since records began in 1895.' Locally, temperatures ran 9 to 10 degrees above normal for the month. Florence had its warmest February on record, and in Wilmington the month's average temperature of 57.5 degrees was the third warmest ever recorded, exceeded only by slightly warmer Februarys in 18. In astounding opposition to January's cold, temperatures in February were extremely warm relative to normal. Across our portion of the Carolinas only trace amounts of snow fell, but 6 to 10 inches of snow fell across the northeastern portions of North Carolina.įebruary temperatures were extremely warm relative to normal across the Southeast. Winter wasn't quite done with the area: a cold front brought a mix of rain and snow to the area on January 17th. Later that same evening a weather buoy off Cape Fear, NC reported a wind gust to 62 mph during severe thunderstorms. Along with this change in airmass came thunderstorms one cluster of severe thunderstorms produced strong winds near Pembroke, NC (Robeson County) during the evening of January 12th, damaging two mobile homes, an outbuilding, and one vehicle. Īrctic air finally left the area on January 9th, and by the 11th temperatures had warmed back into the 70s along with much higher humidity. More information on this exceptional period of cold and snow is at. Lake Waccamaw in Columbus County, NC froze over for the first time since the historic snowstorm and cold outbreak at Christmas 1989. The extended period of frigid temperatures kept measurable snow on the ground in Wilmington for five days, the third longest period of snow on the ground in local history. As if the cold weather wasn't enough, a storm system moving northward just offshore on January 3 dropped up to five inches of snow with up to a quarter inch of freezing rain accumulating in the Myrtle Beach/Grand Strand area. The 11 degree temperature recorded on January 6th in Wilmington was the coldest in almost 22 years. Temperatures dipped to as cold as 6 degrees in Dillon, SC and Surf City, NC and 8 degrees in Florence, SC. This same period was the all-time coldest on record for Florence and Myrtle Beach. The seven day period beginning January 1 was the third coldest ever recorded in Wilmington, exceeded only by cold waves in February 1899 and January 1918. This broke our 141 year old record by over 18 inches!ģ.8 inches of snow fell in Wilmington during the Jan 3-4 stormĢ018 began with one of the longest stretches of arctic cold in local history. The all-time annual rainfall record was broken in Wilmington with 102.40 inches of rain.Over 30 inches of rain fell and wind gusts over 100 mph were recorded.

Hurricane Florence brought historic flooding and devastating winds to the eastern Carolinas in mid-September.Up to five inches of snow and one-quarter inch of ice fell. We had the lowest temperatures since the 1980s/1990s and the longest duration of cold weather since 1918. Exceptional cold occurred during the first eight days of January.

Weather up and down 2018