Record Low Temperatures Set Across State

RALEIGH, N.C. — Record low temperatures showed on the official thermometers at several National Weather Service stations Sunday morning, and officials posted fire warnings in counties throughout central and eastern North Carolina.

Cold was forecast to continue through Monday night, with frost warnings remaining in effect, and scientists said Tuesday morning could see very cold temperatures as well.

People headed out in new Easter outfits needed a warming layer as record lows occurred in the Triangle, and at Greensboro, Wilmington, Asheville and North Myrtle Brach, S.C. Charlotte set a record low for Saturday just before midnight as the cold air got there a bit earlier.

At Raleigh-Durham International Airport, the thermometer read 27 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday morning, a degree below the 1975 record. In Greensboro, 25 degrees broke the 1990 record of 28. Wilmington got down to 29 degrees, four below the 1972 record.

Asheville set a record for the second day in a row, with 22 degrees on Sunday and 20 degrees on Saturday, the National Weather Service reported. Saturday also was a snowfall record for any date in April, with 1.2 inches on the ground.

At North Myrtle Beach, the Sunday morning low of 29 was 1 degree below a record that had stood since 1950.

The dry weather—with humidity predicted to be below 20 percent Sunday—and windy conditions brought requests for people not to burn outdoors. Conditions were too likely to let fires spread, officials said. Winds were expected to be 10-15 mph with slightly higher gusts.

Several locations in central North Carolina and in Virginia got a dusting of snow the day before Easter.

Traces of the white stuff were reported from as far south as Cumberland County to Vance County along the Virginia border. Parts of Orange and Wake counties also saw traces of snow.