It has been cold recently in Charlotte but how cold? We dive into some cold weather stats and some cold weather streaks.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Through 23 days of January, only two mornings have started above freezing, making this the coldest January through three weeks since 2018.
As of Thursday morning, this is the 17th-coldest first 23 days of January on record, but one of the most notable stats has been how long Charlotte’s been below freezing.
Hours at freezing or below
On average, Charlotte has a high of 52 degrees and a low of 32 in January. So when the highs struggle to reach the freezing mark, that’s a big deal. The last time Charlotte spent over two days at or below freezing was around Christmas in 2022, when the wind chill made it feel closer to zero or colder across the Carolinas.
That was cold, but the last time we had a freezing streak this long was 25 years ago.
Our 2025 freezing streak should end around noon Thursday, but it’ll match the longest Charlotte has recorded since 2000. The record is a staggering 138 hours (more than five days) in 1982. Charlotte was freezing from 8 p.m. on Jan. 9 until 2 p.m. on Jan. 15.
Another thing to remember is that while this week has been cold, it’s still not in the top 10 all-time for hourly temperatures, with records dating back to 1941. For those of you looking forward to warmer weather, there’s good news: Charlotte could be close to 60 degrees by the middle of next week!
Other chilly Charlotte facts:
- Charlotte is averaging 36.2 degrees which at this point in the month is the 17th coldest dating back to 1878
- Charlotte has had 0.8 inches of snow from two winter events. That is still the snowiest January since 2022
- 19 degrees has been the coldest low of the month and the season recorded at the airport, happening back-to-back days
Contact Chris Mulcahy at cmulcahy@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.
