NOAA NCEI Climate Normals 1991–2020

North Carolina Weather by Month

Temperature, rain and the hurricane season at 134 North Carolina stations, month by month.

Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated October 26, 2026

The median station records 50.3 inches of precipitation a year; Lake Toxaway 2 SW, NC records the most, 96.5 inches, and Monroe Airport, NC the least, 38.0 (2.5 times as much). July is the hottest month at the median station (average high 89°F); the hottest July is at Laurinburg, NC, 93°F. January is the coldest (average low 30°F); the coldest January nights are at Mt Mitchell, NC, 17°F. Highs reach 90°F on 38 days a year at the median station and on 71 at Fayetteville Regional Airport, NC, the most. Snowfall is heaviest at Mt Mitchell, NC, 89.1 inches a year; 3 of the 99 stations that measure snow average less than half an inch.

This page compares the 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals of 134 North Carolina weather stations, each the nearest station with full normals to at least one of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site that have one within 25 miles.

At the median station, July is the wettest month (5.2 inches) and February the driest (3.3). Station by station, the wettest month is September at 50, August at 33 and July at 27 of the 134, and the driest February at 83, October at 23 and April at 13. The gap between the wettest and driest station is widest in September: 6.7 inches.

Month by month across North Carolina

North Carolina climate normals by month: median of 134 stations and the station at each extreme
Month	High °F	Low °F	Precip. in	Hottest days	Coldest nights	Wettest	Driest
Jan	51	30	3.8	Southport 5 N, NC60°	Mt Mitchell, NC17°	Lake Toxaway 2 SW, NC8.7"	Lumberton Municipal Airport, NC2.6"
Feb	55	32	3.3	Southport 5 N, NC63°	Mt Mitchell, NC19°	Lake Toxaway 2 SW, NC7.1"	Greensboro Wtp, NC2.6"
Mar	62	39	4.1	Southport 5 N, NC68°	Mt Mitchell, NC24°	Lake Toxaway 2 SW, NC7.8"	Fayetteville Regional Airport, NC3.1"
Apr	72	47	3.8	Laurinburg, NC77°	Mt Mitchell, NC32°	Lake Toxaway 2 SW, NC7.4"	Laurinburg Maxton Airport, NC2.7"
May	78	56	3.9	Laurinburg, NC84°	Mt Mitchell, NC41°	Lake Toxaway 2 SW, NC7.0"	Monroe Airport, NC2.9"
Jun	85	65	4.7	Laurinburg, NC90°	Mt Mitchell, NC49°	Lake Toxaway 2 SW, NC7.8"	Asheville, NC3.4"
Jul	89	69	5.2	Laurinburg, NC93°	Mt Mitchell, NC52°	Lake Toxaway 2 SW, NC9.4"	Gastonia Municipal Airport, NC3.5"
Aug	87	67	5.1	Laurinburg, NC91°	Mt Mitchell, NC51°	Lake Toxaway 2 SW, NC8.9"	Burlington Alamance Airport, NC3.5"
Sep	82	61	5.1	Southport 5 N, NC87°	Mt Mitchell, NC46°	Atlantic Beach Wtp, NC9.7"	Flat Springs 1E, NC3.0"
Oct	73	49	3.6	Southport 5 N, NC79°	Mt Mitchell, NC37°	Lake Toxaway 2 SW, NC6.7"	Lumberton Municipal Airport, NC2.3"
Nov	62	38	3.5	Southport 5 N, NC70°	Mt Mitchell, NC28°	Highlands, NC7.8"	Marshall, NC2.8"
Dec	54	33	3.7	Southport 5 N, NC63°	Mt Mitchell, NC21°	Highlands, NC8.7"	Laurinburg Maxton Airport, NC2.9"

High, low and precipitation are the median of the 134 stations; the station columns name the station with the highest average high, the lowest average low, and the most and least precipitation that month, each linked to the city page it serves. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Hurricane season in North Carolina

June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation at the median station, from 46% at Cherokee, NC to 63% at Wilmington 7 SE, NC. Since 1851, 233 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of a North Carolina city on this site, 81 of them at hurricane strength at their closest point to one; September has brought the most (85), then October (47). 9 came outside June to November.

Tropical systems near North Carolina cities by month since 1851, with median precipitation
Month	Tropical systems	At hurricane strength	Median precip. in
Jan	0	0	3.8
Feb	0	0	3.3
Mar	0	0	4.1
Apr	0	0	3.8
May	8	1	3.9
Jun	23	2	4.7
Jul	20	4	5.2
Aug	44	25	5.1
Sep	85	35	5.1
Oct	47	12	3.6
Nov	5	1	3.5
Dec	1	1	3.7

Tropical systems from NOAA NHC HURDAT2 that passed within 75 miles of a North Carolina city on this site, each counted once, in the month of its first such pass; hurricane strength is the track's wind at its closest point to a city.

Coastal water temperature by month

Across 5 NOAA tide stations, the water is warmest in July (median 84°F, up to 84°F at Wilmington, NC) and coolest in January (median 49°F, down to 47°F at Duck, NC). The median station averages 80°F or warmer in July and August.

Average water temperature by month at NOAA tide stations in North Carolina, 2021–2025
Station	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Duck, NC	47	45	49	56	63	70	72	75	75	68	61	53
Oregon Inlet Marina, NC	48	49	56	64	71	79	84	82	78	70	61	53
Beaufort, Duke Marine Lab, NC	51	53	59	66	73	80	84	83	79	71	62	54
Wilmington, NC	49	51	59	67	74	80	84	83	79	71	63	53
Wrightsville Beach, NC	52	52	57	64	71	77	81	82	79	72	64	56

°F, average of hourly readings 2021–2025; a month counts when at least three years have half their hours on record. Source: NOAA Tides & Currents; the newest readings are preliminary.

North Carolina cities and their stations

North Carolina city pages with the normals of their nearest station
City	Station	Miles	Hottest month high °F	Coldest month low °F	Year precip. in
Charlotte	Charlotte Douglas Airport, NC	8	90	32	43.7
Raleigh	Raleigh State Univ, NC	4	91	32	49.5
Greensboro	Greensboro Wtp, NC	1	89	30	45.9
Durham	Durham, NC	5	87	28	48.6
Winston Salem	Winston Salem Rynlds Airport, NC	4	88	31	43.3
Fayetteville	Fayetteville (Pwc), NC	4	91	32	47.9
Wilmington	Wilmington International Airport, NC	4	90	36	60.4
Cary	Apex, NC	4	89	31	48.4
Concord	Concord, NC	2	92	29	47.8
Gastonia	Gastonia, NC	2	91	31	44.1
Greenville	Greenville, NC	3	90	33	53.5
Jacksonville	New River Mcaf, NC	5	89	35	56.7
Apex	Apex, NC	3	89	31	48.4
Burlington	Burlington Alamance Airport, NC	4	91	30	43.4
Clayton	Clayton Wtp, NC	3	89	30	52.2
Wake Forest	Falls Lake, NC	7	87	28	47.5
Sanford	Sanford 8 NE, NC	9	90	31	46.7
Huntersville	Charlotte Douglas Airport, NC	14	90	32	43.7
Goldsboro	Goldsboro 4 SE, NC	3	91	35	52.2
New Bern	New Bern Craven Co Airport, NC	3	90	34	53.1
Wilson	Wilson 3 SW, NC	3	90	33	50.4
Garner	Raleigh 4 SW, NC	6	90	33	50.6
Shelby	Shelby 2 NW, NC	2	91	27	50.5
Lumberton	Lumberton, NC	<1	91	33	50.8
Holly Springs	Apex, NC	7	89	31	48.4
Leland	Wilmington International Airport, NC	10	90	36	60.4
Lincolnton	Lincolnton 4 W, NC	5	89	30	49.6
Morrisville	Raleigh Durham International Airport, NC	5	91	32	46.1
Hope Mills	Fayetteville Regional Airport, NC	4	91	34	44.8
Kinston	Kinston Ag Rsch, NC	3	91	35	52.8
Knightdale	Clayton Wtp, NC	10	89	30	52.2
Cornelius	Charlotte Douglas Airport, NC	18	90	32	43.7
Marion	Marion, NC	2	85	28	56.7
Kings Mountain	Gastonia Municipal Airport, NC	12	91	33	43.4
Winterville	Greenville, NC	7	90	33	53.5
Smithfield	Smithfield, NC	<1	92	31	49.5
Belmont	Charlotte Douglas Airport, NC	5	90	32	43.7
Newton	Hickory Faa Airport, NC	10	87	30	47.3
Camp Lejeune	New River Mcaf, NC	5	89	35	56.7
Washington	Washington Wwtp 4W, NC	2	89	34	53.1

The 40 largest of 123 North Carolina city pages in search. All North Carolina cities and their storm history →

How stations are matched to cities and what normals are: methodology · other states by month

Month	Tropical systems	At hurricane strength	Median precip. in
Jan	0	0	3.8
Feb	0	0	3.3
Mar	0	0	4.1
Apr	0	0	3.8
May	8	1	3.9
Jun	23	2	4.7
Jul	20	4	5.2
Aug	44	25	5.1
Sep	85	35	5.1
Oct	47	12	3.6
Nov	5	1	3.5
Dec	1	1	3.7

Month	Tropical systems	At hurricane strength	Median precip. in
Jan	0	0	3.8
Feb	0	0	3.3
Mar	0	0	4.1
Apr	0	0	3.8
May	8	1	3.9
Jun	23	2	4.7
Jul	20	4	5.2
Aug	44	25	5.1
Sep	85	35	5.1
Oct	47	12	3.6
Nov	5	1	3.5
Dec	1	1	3.7

Month	Tropical systems	At hurricane strength	Median precip. in
Jan	0	0	3.8
Feb	0	0	3.3
Mar	0	0	4.1
Apr	0	0	3.8
May	8	1	3.9
Jun	23	2	4.7
Jul	20	4	5.2
Aug	44	25	5.1
Sep	85	35	5.1
Oct	47	12	3.6
Nov	5	1	3.5
Dec	1	1	3.7