Raleigh experiences warmest spring ever recorded

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Raleigh just experienced its warmest spring on record.

Averaging 75.8 degrees from March 1 through May 31, Raleigh broke the previous record of 75.2 set in 2012. The third warmest spring occurred in 2022, averaging 74.8 degrees.

Of the top 10 warmest springs, half of them have happened since 2007.

Raleigh is not alone in experiencing a warm spring. ABC News found that more than 160 weather stations across 30 states recorded a top 5 warmest spring this year. Not a single station examined recorded a top 5 coolest spring.

All the weather stations examined have been collecting data for over 70 years, with many of them reaching back over 150 years.

Does this record-warm spring mean summer is going to be unbearably hot? Not necessarily.

"A warm spring doesn't necessarily compare to a warmer summer. That being said it can happen," ABC11 Chief Meteorologist Don "Big Weather" Schwenneker said.

The warmest summers on record happened in 2010 (92.1 degrees), 2007 (91.2 degrees) and 2022 (91.1 degrees). Those three warmest summers were all also in the top 10 list for warmest springs. So it is possible, but not every top 10 warmest spring also followed with a top 10 warmest summer.