Will NC’s spring forecast be impacted by La Niña? Here’s what experts say to expect
Now that we’ve washed the salt off the car from this winter’s repeated snow and ice storms, we can see that cooler-than-average January and warmer-than-average February in the rear-view mirror.
But what kind of weather is ahead for North Carolina this spring?
We consulted the experts to get a forecast.
Will North Carolina have a warm spring?
The Climate Prediction Center, an arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, released its seasonal outlook on Thursday, March 20, saying it expects the La Niña that was in place over the winter to dissipate through the spring. In the coming months, surface-water temperatures in the tropical Pacific are expected to be close to average, meaning neither a La Niña nor an El Niño will be present to affect global weather patterns.
However, forecasters say, that leaves other shorter-term factors to exert influence over the weather.
From April through June, the Climate Prediction Center says, North Carolina is leaning toward warmer-than-average temperatures.
Raleigh’s average high spring temperatures, according to National Weather Service records, are:
▪ April: low to mid-70s
▪ May: Upper 70s to low 80s
▪ June: mid- to upper-80s
Will spring rains wipe out North Carolina’s drought?
The state went into the winter with about a third of our 100 counties affected by drought, according to Assistant State Climatologist Corey Davis. By the first week of March, 43% of the state was in moderate drought and another 11% was in severe drought.
Despite some recent rains, the March 20 drought report showed all but eight counties still abnormally dry or in moderate or severe drought.
The Climate Prediction Center’s seasonal forecast indicates even chances of above- and below-average rainfall this spring. That may mean enough rainfall to bring some areas out of rainfall deficits, but drought likely will persist in North Carolina through spring in areas along the South Carolina border and along the coast, the forecast says.
This story was originally published March 21, 2025 at 4:33 PM with the headline "Will NC’s spring forecast be impacted by La Niña? Here’s what experts say to expect."
