Climate and Weather- Part 1: Introduction [1]
Climate and Weather
Related: Hurricanes [4]; Tornadoes [5]; Wet Year [6]; Year without a Summer [7]
Part 1: Introduction
[10]
Climate and Weather in North Carolina are as varied as that of any state, with four distinct seasons and a wide variety of conditions and storms, from paralyzing snowstorms in winter to major hurricanes in late summer and fall. Because the state's geography ranges from Atlantic coastline [11] in the east to western mountains [12] reaching several thousand feet in height, temperature extremes in North Carolina vary greatly from place to place and from season to season. The overall climate is relatively warm; even in the mountains, North Carolina's coldest region, the average temperature in January remains above freezing. The state's record low is -25°, recorded at Grandfather Mountain [13] in Avery County [14] on 30 Jan. 1966. North Carolina's highest recorded temperature, 110°, occurred at Fayetteville [15] on 22 Aug. 1983. The frost-free season in the state ranges from an average of 170 days in the west to 280 days in the east.
Keep reading >>Part 2: Climatic Factors, Precipitation Patterns, and Seasonal Trends [8] 
[8]
References:
Jay Barnes, North Carolina's Hurricane History (3rd ed., 2001).
Charles B. Carney and Albert V. Hardy, Weather and Climate in North Carolina (1963).
William S. Powell, North Carolina: The Story of a Special Kind of Place (1987).
Additional Resources:
"Geography of North Carolina," North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/socialstudies/elementary/studentsampler/20geography#maps [16]
"North Carolina," The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/topics/north-carolina/page3#a3 [17]
"North Carolina: Facts, Map, and State Symbol," Enchanted Learning, last modified 2010, http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/northcarolina/ [18]
"North Carolina Geography and Climate," Secretary of State/Kids Page," http://www.secretary.state.nc.us/kidspg/ [19]
Image Credit:
Weather Station, Hatteras Village, Roanoke Island, NC, no date (c.1900-1909). From the General Negative Collection (original is in the H. H. Brimley Photograph Collection, PhC42_Bx7_Cape Hatteras_F10), North Carolina State Archives call #: N-77-4-19. Available from http://www.flickr.com/photos/north-carolina-state-archives/2434767382/ [10] (accessed October 31, 2012).
1 January 2006 | Fishel, Gregory B.; Robinson, Peter J.
