GREENSBORO, N.C. — We're not done with summer yet, but is the end of the high heat near? Our WFMY Weather team is here to help.
It's no secret that summer in the Carolinas is a hot time of year. Right now, we're chugging through the month of August dealing with more 90-degree heat. So far this year, our summer has actually been a little bit cooler than average.
The month of June was much cooler than average. July was warmer than average. August has been right about in line with normal. So when do we cool down?
It's not reasonable to make a forecast for three to four weeks into the future, but we can use history as a guide. We have over 100 years of climate data here in the Piedmont, dating back to 1903 in Greensboro. We can use that to help illustrate how much heat may remain in our future.
First, let's take a look at average temperatures from now through October. Not surprisingly, there's a clear trend. Temperatures do get cooler through September and they start getting cooler even quicker toward October.
Right now, the average high is in the mid-80s. By mid-September, the average high is in the low 80s. By early October the average high is in the mid-70s. Now, this isn't how it always happens - but it is a good guide for how quickly things do change over the next six weeks or so.
Let's put it another way. We use 90-degree heat as a way to approximate summer heat suffering. At this point in summer we've had more than twenty 90-degree days so far. Looking back at history, typically we only have about 5 or 6 90-degree days remaining for the rest of the year.
So, what can we conclude? We're not done with the heat yet, but the clock is ticking on your summer sweating. There will be a lot of improvement in the next few weeks.
