Raleigh is forecast to reach about 82°F under sunny skies Friday, October 30, before a cooler Halloween Saturday with a high near 68°F. The National Weather Service Raleigh point forecast shows the sharp change between the two days; its forecast discussion says Friday may be the season’s last day above 80°F for many locations.
Some patchy fog is possible before sunrise Friday, especially near the Interstate 95 corridor, with low clouds expected to clear by late morning, according to the NWS Raleigh forecast discussion. The forecast calls for mostly sunny conditions on Halloween.
How unusual is Friday’s forecast?
The forecast high is about 14°F above Raleigh’s October 30 normal high of 68°F. The normal low for the date is 45°F, according to NWS Raleigh climate data. Those comparisons put the forecast in local seasonal context; they do not establish how often such warmth occurs.
A past warm spell offers context, not a trend
Raleigh has had late-October warmth in recent years: the NWS Raleigh office reported that the city reached 86°F on October 28, 2023, its latest occurrence of temperatures that warm since November 1, 2004; the high also tied a daily record. The office also noted that Raleigh and Fayetteville reached the 80s every day from October 26 through 30 that year. These are examples from one October, not evidence of a long-term pattern, and they do not predict this Halloween’s temperatures. Friday’s 82°F remains a forecast, followed by the cooler Saturday outlook. NWS Raleigh’s October 2023 climate summary documents those comparisons.
