North Carolina
From crops to ski slopes: The rising cost of warmer winters in North Carolina
North Carolina’s winters are
warming at an alarming rate, bringing unpredictable weather, reduced snowfall,
and a host of challenges for agriculture, tourism, and daily life. From
disrupted farming cycles to ski resorts struggling to make snow, the effects of
this climate shift are felt across the state— and experts warn it’s only going
to get worse.
Winter temperatures in North
Carolina have been steadily rising, with significant consequences for
agriculture, local communities and tourism. Since 1970, Raleigh has warmed by
about 5.7°F, surpassing the national average. This warming trend is part of a
broader pattern across the U.S., where winters have warmed by about 4°F on
average since 1970, with meteorological winter —spanning December through
February — being the fastest-warming season.
Jacob Sheff, an atmospheric
scientist at UNC Charlotte, attributes this rise in temperatures largely to
human activity. “The fossil fuels we burn create a blanket around the earth,
and we’re sort of inadvertently making that blanket thicker and thicker,” he
says. “Now, it’s much more difficult for us to have snow here in North
Carolina.” Sheff says that it’s becoming harder to get cold enough for snow as
the overall climate warms.
Warm winter ahead: WRAL Severe Weather outlook doesn’t look good for snow lovers
This prolonged warm season is
impacting agriculture. Michelle Pace Davis, with Pace Family Farms in Clayton,
has noticed the effects of recent erratic weather, from heavy rain to drought.
She also says it’s harder to keep pests at bay. “With these warmer winters,
pests can survive longer and affect our crops more, and that, in turn,
increases costs,” she says.
Warmer temperatures extend the growing season, but
they also bring new challenges for farmers, who now have to contend with pests
that would typically die off in the cold.
The longer warm season also
extends the mosquito and allergy seasons. Lauren Casey, a meteorologist with
Climate Central, notes that warmer winters are affecting health in a variety of
ways. “In the past, we could count on the cold weather to kill off mosquitoes
and keep allergies at bay, but now we’re seeing them stick around longer,” she
explains.
In Raleigh, there are now 27 more days suitable for mosquitoes than
in 1980, which increases the risk of health-related diseases.
“Nearly 14
million kids suffer from seasonal allergies, and longer allergy seasons mean
more suffering from congestion and sneezing,” Casey said.
In addition to the health and
agricultural impacts, warmer winters are bringing more intense rainstorms.
“When it rains these days, it’s raining about seven or eight percent harder
than it used to,” Sheff says. This increased rainfall can strain local water
systems and complicate flood management, especially as more moisture is in the
air due to warmer temperatures.
While milder conditions may
benefit some, the region’s ski resorts are feeling the effects of reduced
snowfall.
“We used to get about six or seven days in a row of weather cold
enough to make snow, but now it’s just two or three,” says Shawn Cassell, marketing
director at Snowshoe Mountain Resort. “We really have to weatherproof ourselves
for those upswings, making more snow in tighter windows than we ever had
before.”
Sheff warns that as the
planet continues to warm, North Carolina — and the world — will face more
disruptions to weather patterns, agriculture, and local economies.
Looking ahead, North Carolina
faces increasingly unpredictable weather patterns. “We’re seeing a rise in
warmer-than-normal winter days, which has a ripple effect on everything from
water supply to pest survival,” says Casey. “With warmer winters, mold season
is lasting longer, as mold thrives in these conditions.”
As these effects become more
pronounced, adapting to these changes will be essential for maintaining the
state’s economy, infrastructure and quality of life.
AVERY COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Former Madison County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Bronis Coy Phillips was processed on Thursday, June 25, in a North Carolina county, according to court documents.
The warrants were served in Avery County on behalf of Madison County. He is now being held without bond, according to the court paperwork.
SBI ARRESTS FORMER MADISON CO. CHIEF DEPUTY FOR CRIMINAL ACTIVITY INVOLVING INMATES, STAFF
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation announced that Phillips was arrested on June 14 in Maricopa County, Arizona. He’s expected to face charges in N.C., as News 13 previously reported.
According to court records, Phillips faces multiple felony charges, including:
- Furnishing controlled substances to inmates
- Furnishing deadly weapons to inmates
- Involuntary servitude
- Two counts of assault with a firearm on a detention facility employee
COURT RECORDS REVEAL NEW DETAILS IN FORMER MADISON CO. CHIEF DEPUTY ARREST
He was also charged with two misdemeanors:
- Furnishing alcoholic beverages to inmates
- Furnishing tobacco products to inmates
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The NCSBI said the charges stem from an investigation into alleged criminal activity involving inmates and detention facility staff.
North Carolina and NC State, scheduled to meet just once in the men’s basketball regular season for the second consecutive season, are working to schedule a nonconference meeting in Greensboro in December, WRAL has learned.
The Atlantic Coast Conference rivals had played annual games in Raleigh and in Chapel Hill for more than 100 years before last season when the teams met just once in Raleigh. This season, the ACC scheduled just one meeting between the schools in Chapel Hill.
The additional meeting, which is not finalized, would be played Dec. 15 in Greensboro, according to a source.
The 18-team ACC moved from 20 conference games to 18 before last season in an attempt to improve the league’s NCAA Tournament credentials. It worked as the league received eight bids to the NCAA Tournament in 2026, but it also created some scheduling changes, including the elimination of a second game between NC State and UNC in most seasons.
The current conference schedule dictates that each school plays two teams twice (a primary partner and a variable partner), plays 14 teams once and misses one school altogether. In 2026-27, UNC will play Duke (primary) and Louisville (variable) twice and won’t play Clemson. NC State will play Wake Forest (primary) and California (variable) twice and won’t play Syracuse.
Greensboro was the longtime home of the conference office. The ACC men’s basketball tournament has been held at First Horizon Coliseum, formerly the Greensboro Coliseum, 29 times – the most in league history.
For decades, the ACC played a true round robin among its members — a format that became unworkable as the league grew to 12, 15 and, now, 18 basketball-playing schools.
State lawmakers have pursued various measures to force schools in the UNC System to play each other, citing the economic impact of such meetings. North Carolina and NC State are UNC System schools.
A 2024 bill would have required the two ACC schools to play each other and other in-state public universities in football and basketball. A 2025 bill, aimed at potential conference realignment, would have required that NC State and UNC play each annually in football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and softball. The Senate’s 2025 budget proposal would have required more basketball games between UNC, NC State and smaller schools across the state. The budget would have added UNC and NC State to the schools that receive annual distributions from sports betting tax revenue.
None of those measures have become law.
NC State and North Carolina have been conference mates since 1911, first in the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association, then in the Southern Conference and now the ACC. Both have been members of the ACC since its 1953 founding.
There is some sad news from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission’s popular Barn Owl Live Cam.
Wildlife officials say a Great Horned Owl entered the barn Wednesday around midnight and killed one of the barn owl owlets. Biologists have not been able to determine which owlet was lost.
They have confirmed it was one of the three youngest birds in the nest. The Wildlife Commission says the incident is heartbreaking but also a natural part of life in the wild.
Great Horned Owls are one of the main predators of Barn Owls, and encounters between the two species do happen. The attack was captured on the live camera.
Officials say the video also shows an extremely rare moment when the adult female Barn Owl fought the Great Horned Owl on top of the nest box. Despite the loss, the surviving owlets are expected to continue growing over the coming weeks.
They will lose their fluffy down feathers, begin exploring outside the barn, and continue developing hunting skills.
The Wildlife Commission says some of the young owls could leave the nest as early as July.
After leaving the nest, they usually travel alone and may eventually move hundreds of miles from where they hatched. The Barn Owl Live Cam remains available for the public to watch.
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