CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In a time of year when Charlotte typically seems afternoon high temperatures in the low 60s, Charlotte has set a new record for a record high temperature.
With an afternoon high temperature of 81 degrees Wednesday, 2023 will go down as the warmest Nov. 8th on record. The temperatures beat out the record of 79 degrees set in 2020.
The record is the sixth time this year a record high temperature has either been tied or exceeded at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, the location where the National Weather Service makes the official temperature observation for Charlotte.
The record-breaking high temperatures in Charlotte are a localized version of a global story, where 2023 is likely to become the hottest year on record.
Earlier this year, Charlotte:
- Jan 19: Tied 69°
- Feb 23: 80°
- Feb 28: 79°
- Oct 29: Tied 83°
- Oct 30: Tied 84°
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This past October was the hottest on record globally, 3.1 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the pre-industrial average for the month — and the fifth straight month with such a mark in what will now almost certainly be the warmest year ever recorded.
After the cumulative warming of these past several months, it’s virtually guaranteed that 2023 will be the hottest year on record, according to Copernicus Climate Change Service, the European climate agency that routinely publishes monthly bulletins observing global surface air and sea temperatures, among other data.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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