Yes, it's winter. It gets cold. A cold stretch of this length and magnitude, however, is something we haven't seen since January of 2018.
That's when we had a week straight of highs of 40 degrees or below and a week straight of lows of 20 degrees or below in the Triangle.
Other WRAL Top Stories
Potential for more winter weather Jan 31-Feb 01
What's causing this?
Two global patterns - NAO and PNA
Two key global patterns are contributing to the prolonged cold and unsettled weather pattern we've seen in the last week and a half.
These patterns are called the NAO (North Atlantic Oscillation) and the PNA (Pacific-North America Oscillation).
Each of these oscillations/patterns go through phases - either positive or negative.
The NAO refers to the pattern between high pressure near the Azores and low pressure near Iceland.
When the wind between the two is strong, cold air is bottled up north. This is the positive phase of the NAO.
When it slackens a bit, cold air can ooze down south. This is the negative phase of the NAO.
The PNA goes through these phases as well.
A positive phase indicates a more active jet stream in the Eastern U.S., driven in part by a strong area of high pressure over the Western U.S.
A negative phase indicates a less active jet stream in the Eastern U.S., which keeps us warmer and drier.
Which phases are we in right now?
The NAO is in its negative phase, and the PNA is in its positive phase. Both of these combined lead to a colder, stormier weather pattern in the Eastern U.S.
There is the potential for another round of winter weather for the weekend of January 31 and February 1.
It's been highlighted for the eastern half of the state by NOAA's Climate Prediction Center as well.
What you need to know
Afternoon highs reach the 30s to near 40 degrees, and morning lows drop into the teens to near 20 degrees each day this week.
As mentioned above, a stretch like that hasn't been since in nearly eight years.
This is when a Cary teen learned a scary lesson about the dangers of frozen ponds.
Please stay off any frozen ponds or lakes, as the ice likely won't be thick enough.
