It's been cooler for much of this week, but a shift in our pattern will allow temperatures to climb into the 80s this week. By the middle of next week, we could see our highs push to around 90°! Let's look at when we last saw temperatures in the 90s, when our average first 90° occurs, and what pattern is causing this abnormal warmth.
To find the last time we hit 90° at RDU, you would have to go back to September of last year. On September 25th, 2025, we jumped to 93°. In Fayetteville, we have already hit 90° this year. On March 11th, we got to exactly 90° which is the earliest day seeing a temperature this warm in over a century according to the NC State Climate Office.
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Our average first 90° is May 18th at RDU based on data from 1946-2025 compiled by the NC State Climate Office. Our earliest 90° was March 12th, 1990 while our latest was June 27th, 1983.
As an upper-level ridge builds into this weekend, we'll already see highs climb into the 80s. The ridge will strengthen into the middle of next week, and that will give us our best chance to see highs at around 90°.
