By Jesse Wood
In the past week at least five days featured high temperature records or were within tenths of a degree of setting records for high temps in Boone and the surrounding High Country.
In some cases, these records date back to the early ‘30s when climate data for Boone was first archived. Below is the high temperature that Boone experienced in the past week versus the historical record.
Dec. 22 – 63.9 degrees versus 63 degrees in 1932
Dec. 23 – 56.6 degrees 66 degrees in 1933
Dec. 24 – 62.4 degrees versus 63 degrees in 1931
Dec. 25 – 62.4 degrees versus 62 degrees in 1933
Dec. 26 – 63.3 degrees versus 62 degrees in 1982
Dec. 27 – 66.1 degrees versus 65 degrees in 1949
Dec. 28 – 59 degrees versus 68 degrees in 1984
Around this time of year, the historical average high is in the mid 40’s and the average low is in the mid 20’s. For comparison, record lows for this time of year stand anywhere from negative 2 degrees (Dec. 30, 1983) to 6 degrees (Dec. 29, 1961).
Freezing temps won’t arrive in the Boone area until at least Thursday night, according to RaysWeather.com, which noted that the weather pattern is turning toward a more typical winter setup in 2016.
“We finally get a true pattern change for the New Year. Cooler air arrives from the northwest Thursday. The really cold stuff arrives New Years Day as Canadian high pressure settles into the Central and Eastern U. S. Cold weather lasts through the weekend, with some moderation Sunday,” notes RaysWeather.com.