NOAA GHCND · LIVE
Beyond the Forecast

February 26 in Raleigh

Weather forecasts run out after about two weeks. For any date further out than that, the honest answer isn't a single number — it's the range Raleigh actually delivers on this date, and how often.

On February 26, Raleigh, NC typically reaches 59°F, but has run anywhere from 44°F to 72°F in eight years out of ten. About 77% of February 26s see no measurable precipitation.

Daytime high59°F
44°F8 years in 10 land in here72°F
Overnight low37°F
26°F8 years in 10 land in here51°F

The odds on February 26

77%
Dry day
No measurable precipitation
34%
Freeze
Low at or below 32°F

Odds computed from the last 30 years (19962025).

This date is moving

Highs around February 26 have warmed about 0.2°F per decade since 1970 — roughly 1.3°F across the record. The figures above are shifted along that trend to 2025, so they describe today's climate rather than the average of the last 55 years.

Where this comes from: 796 daily observations from RALEIGH STATE UNIV, covering 19702025. We pool every day within 7 days of February 26 — a single calendar date has only about 55 readings, far too few to place a 10th percentile you'd want to trust.

Why it's not a plain average: A climatology computed straight across 19702025 describes the middle of that period, not today, so as a statement about the present it runs cold. We fit a trend on year and shift each observation to 2025 before taking the range. The probabilities use the last 30 years instead — shifting a temperature along a trend is well defined, shifting “did it rain” is not.

What this is not: Not a forecast. It is what Raleigh, NC has actually done on this date, which is the only defensible answer once you're past the two-week horizon where real forecasts stop. Data: NOAA NCEI GHCN-Daily.

📬 Free weekly newsletter

This week in weather history.

Five notable weather anniversaries from the week ahead — deadliest tornadoes, record temps, historic storms — every Sunday. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

4,200+ readers · Sunday delivery