Raleigh, NC – Christmas in Raleigh and much of Central North Carolina is shaping up to feel more like early fall than winter, with seasonably mild temperatures expected on Christmas Day, according to the National Weather Service in Raleigh.
According to the NWS, Raleigh is forecast to reach a high near 65 degrees with a low around 50 degrees on Christmas Day, putting temperatures about 12 degrees above the city’s average Christmas high of 53 degrees. Greensboro is also expected to top out near 65 degrees, while Fayetteville could reach 67 degrees.
While the warmth may feel unusual, meteorologists say it will fall short of record levels. Raleigh’s warmest Christmas Day on record reached 75 degrees in 1955, while the coldest saw a daytime high of just 19 degrees in 1983.
In Greensboro, record Christmas highs reached 74 degrees in 2015, compared to forecast highs in the mid-60s this year. Fayetteville’s warmest Christmas on record peaked at 81 degrees in 2015, well above this week’s forecast.
Overnight temperatures will also remain mild. Raleigh’s expected low near 50 degrees is significantly warmer than the city’s average Christmas low of 33 degrees, though still below the record warm low of 65 degrees set in 2015.
Forecasters say the mild pattern should make for easy travel conditions across Wake County, Guilford County, and Cumberland County, with no winter weather impacts expected.
Residents planning outdoor gatherings or holiday travel should expect comfortable but unseasonably warm conditions, with light jackets likely sufficient for much of the day.
