Honestly, Burlington weather is a bit of a wildcard. If you’ve lived here for more than a week, you know the drill. You leave the house in a light jacket because it’s 56°F and sunny like it was yesterday, January 13, and by the next morning, you're scraping frost off the windshield.
It’s the North Carolina Piedmont. Basically, we’re the battleground where northern cold fronts and southern moisture duke it out.
Right now, as of Tuesday night, it’s a crisp 43°F outside. The sky is clear, but that southwest wind at 9 mph makes it feel more like 37°F. If you’re heading out, you definitely need the heavy coat. We're currently sitting at 48% humidity, which is pretty standard for a winter night in Alamance County.
Why Burlington weather shifts so fast
People think the "North Carolina winter" is just a myth. It’s not. But it is inconsistent.
Today, Wednesday, January 14, is a perfect example of the chaos. We're looking at a high of 52°F, but it's going to be cloudy. Most people see that 52 and think "not bad," but there's a 35% chance of rain during the day. Then things get weird. Tonight, the low drops to 30°F, and that rain has a 20% chance of turning into snow.
It probably won't stick. It rarely does. But the transition from a mild afternoon to a freezing, slushy night is exactly what defines weather for Burlington NC.
The Thursday Reality Check
If you aren't prepared for tomorrow, Thursday, January 15, you're going to have a rough morning. The temperature is going to tank. We’re talking a high of only 34°F. That’s an 18-degree drop from Wednesday's high.
The wind is also shifting. We’ve had southwest winds lately, but tomorrow a 15 mph northwest wind kicks in. That’s the "cold air advection" the meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Raleigh are always talking about. By Thursday night, we hit a low of 21°F.
Snow in Burlington: The Great Disappointment
Let's talk about the "S" word. Snow.
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In Burlington, snow is usually just a tease. According to historical data from the State Climate Office of North Carolina, January is technically our snowiest month, averaging about 3.8 inches. But those averages are misleading.
What usually happens is we get one big storm every few years that dumps six inches, and then we go two years with nothing but "trace amounts." For the upcoming week, we see a "rain and snow" mix predicted for Saturday, January 17. The high that day is actually 53°F.
How can it snow at 53 degrees?
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It’s that classic Piedmont setup. Cold air wedges in at the surface while warmer, moist air overrides it. You might see flakes falling while the thermometer says it's way too warm for it. Usually, it just ends up being a cold, miserable rain that makes the 58% humidity feel like it's soaking into your bones.
Surviving the Piedmont Seesaw
Living here requires a specific kind of wardrobe strategy.
- The Layered Approach: You can't trust the morning temperature to last until lunch.
- The "Check the Wind" Rule: A 40°F day with a 15 mph wind from the northwest (like we'll see Friday) feels significantly different than a calm 40°F day.
- The Humidity Factor: When the humidity climbs toward 70%—which it’s expected to do by next Friday, January 23—the cold feels "wetter" and sharper.
Historically, January 29 is the coldest day of the year for us, with average lows right around 30°F. We are right in the thick of it now. While January 2024 was actually one of the wettest on record for central NC (Greensboro had its 5th-wettest January ever), 2026 is shaping up to be a bit more of a rollercoaster in terms of temperature swings rather than just constant rain.
Actionable steps for the week ahead
Stop checking the "daily high" and start looking at the "hourly wind chill."
Prepare for the 21°F low on Thursday night by dripping your faucets if you live in an older home with exposed pipes—Alamance County has plenty of those. Also, keep an eye on that Saturday forecast. Even though the chance of precipitation is only 35%, that rain-to-snow transition often happens right during the morning commute time.
Download a local radar app that covers the Raleigh-Durham area, as they provide the most accurate look at the moisture moving toward Burlington. Check your tire pressure too; these 20-degree temperature swings will trigger your TPMS light faster than you can find a gas station with a working air pump.