By Michela Gritti
Thanksgiving used to look different in North Carolina. A lot of people who grew up here remember sitting around warm holiday tables while everything outside was covered in snow. Students still talk about those memories today, even though snow barely shows up in the state anymore.
“I remember my Thanksgivings when I was a little child. North Raleigh was covered by snow and it was freezing,” said Kevin Reza, a junior at UNC Pembroke.
For some students, snow was more than weather. It shaped how the season felt.
And the decrease of snow is not just an issue in North Carolina, but in the whole country. Students from other states notice the same change.
Michela McEuen, a junior who spent her childhood in Rhode Island, recalls one moment that has stayed with her for years. “When I was younger there was this huge snowstorm that covered everything by morning, but the best part was the night before. We put on our snow suits and went outside around one in the morning to make a snowman. It felt like such a big deal because we were up way past our bedtime,” McEuen said.
Other students said winter overall used to feel colder and more predictable.
“I remember having literal snow on Christmas once or twice. And the snow days in January and February felt like they never ended. Now it is not like that at all,” said Judea, a sophomore.
“It has only snowed a few times when I was younger, but it was always fun and it was a lot colder outside back then,” said Mikul Brimley, a junior at UNCP.
Early season snowfall in North Carolina has become rare. Raleigh has not seen measurable snow during Thanksgiving week since 2008, according to the National Weather Service. But nationally, experts say winters are warming almost everywhere, and snowfall is becoming less reliable across many states.
NOAA research shows winter temperatures across the United States have risen steadily over the past four decades. NASA also reports that nine of the ten warmest winters on record have happened in the last decade. Scientists say even small increases in temperature can turn what might have been snow into rain.
In North Carolina, the State Climate Office reports fewer days below freezing and a shorter period of winter cold. Similar patterns are appearing in the Mid Atlantic, the Midwest and parts of New England. Scientists say the trend will likely continue as oceans warm and the freezing line moves north. Some years will still bring surprise snow, but it will be less consistent.
Looking ahead, climate scientists say the shift students are noticing is only the beginning. Projections from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center show that winter temperatures across much of the United States are expected to continue rising through the next several decades, with fewer cold snaps and more winter precipitation falling as rain instead of snow.
North Carolina is particularly vulnerable because it sits close to the typical freezing line, meaning even small increases in temperature can dramatically reduce snowfall. Researchers warn that unless global emissions decrease significantly, early-season snow could become even rarer, and many parts of the Southeast may go entire years without measurable accumulation.
The words of students like McEuen and Reza show that the change can feel personal. As many other things, snow was part of their childhood. “It is weird to think younger kids might grow up without those nights where you run outside because it is finally snowing,” McEuen said. “It makes you realize how much everything is changing.”
Snow used to define winter for many students in North Carolina and across the country. Now, it mostly shows up in their memories.