Feb 8, 2022
North Carolina’s Cold Snaps Are Getting Shorter – What That Means for You
WNCN
“The average winter temperature has been warmer than any other period since our records started at least for North Carolina as a whole back in 1895,” explained Dr. Kenneth Kunkel, a research professor at North Carolina State University. It’s not just the overall winters getting warmer that’s the problem. Our cold snaps are getting shorter, too. A cold snap means a number of days in a row colder than the average high temperature. Since 1970, across the country, cold snaps are getting shorter by an average of six days. Here in the Triangle, our snaps are shorter by eight days. This may not seem like a big deal, but if you like getting outside, cold snaps can help keep insects at bay. “There are mosquitoes that are active during the winter as adults,” said Dr. Matt Bertone, the Director of the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic at N.C. State. “They rest while it’s cool, but you get a warm day they’ll come out and start being active again.”