Climateby Month

Nags Head, NC climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 5 ft elevation

Summers in Nags Head are warm and oppressively humid; winters are chilly. Highs peak at 86°F in July and fall to 51°F in January. Wet days are spread through the year, from about 6 to 9 a month. Normal snowfall is about 1.1 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is April and May.

Warmest month
86°F
July normal high
Coldest month
36°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
86
46.5 in of precipitation
Snow a year
1.1 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Nags Head?

Normal highs range from 51°F in January to 86°F in July.

30°40°50°60°70°80°90° January: normal high 51°F (11°C), low 36°F (2°C) 51° 36° February: normal high 53°F (12°C), low 37°F (3°C) March: normal high 59°F (15°C), low 43°F (6°C) April: normal high 68°F (20°C), low 51°F (11°C) May: normal high 75°F (24°C), low 60°F (16°C) June: normal high 82°F (28°C), low 69°F (21°C) July: normal high 86°F (30°C), low 73°F (23°C) 86° 73° August: normal high 84°F (29°C), low 72°F (22°C) September: normal high 79°F (26°C), low 69°F (21°C) October: normal high 71°F (22°C), low 58°F (14°C) November: normal high 61°F (16°C), low 48°F (9°C) December: normal high 55°F (13°C), low 40°F (4°C) JFMAMJJASOND

Bars run from the normal low to the normal high for each month.

How rainy is Nags Head?

July has the most wet days (about 9); the year brings about 47 in of precipitation.

January: 8 wet days February: 7 wet days March: 8 wet days April: 7 wet days May: 7 wet days June: 8 wet days July: 9 wet days 9 August: 8 wet days September: 7 wet days October: 6 wet days 6 November: 6 wet days December: 7 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

Wet day: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow, counted from daily records 1991-2020.

How much does it snow?

Normal snowfall is 1.1 in a year, most of it in January.

January: 0.7 in of snow 0.7 February: 0.4 in of snow March: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 April: 0.0 in of snow May: 0.0 in of snow June: 0.0 in of snow July: 0.0 in of snow August: 0.0 in of snow September: 0.0 in of snow October: 0.0 in of snow November: 0.0 in of snow December: 0.0 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Nags Head?

Muggy days peak in July, at about 29 days.

January: 0 muggy days February: 0 muggy days 0 March: 0 muggy days April: 2 muggy days May: 12 muggy days June: 23 muggy days July: 29 muggy days 29 August: 29 muggy days September: 22 muggy days October: 10 muggy days November: 2 muggy days December: 1 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Billy Mitchell Airport, 50 mi S of the city center (the nearest airport with complete hourly records).

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.8 hours in December to 14.6 hours in June.

January: 10.0 hours of daylight February: 10.9 hours of daylight March: 12.0 hours of daylight April: 13.1 hours of daylight May: 14.1 hours of daylight June: 14.6 hours of daylight 14.6 July: 14.3 hours of daylight August: 13.5 hours of daylight September: 12.4 hours of daylight October: 11.3 hours of daylight November: 10.3 hours of daylight December: 9.8 hours of daylight 9.8 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Nags Head, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 51°F36°F 3.8 in8 0.7 in 0 10.0 h
February 53°F37°F 3.2 in7 0.4 in 0 10.9 h
March 59°F43°F 3.8 in8 0.0 in 0 12.0 h
April 68°F51°F 2.9 in7 0.0 in 2 13.1 h
May 75°F60°F 3.5 in7 0.0 in 12 14.1 h
June 82°F69°F 4.5 in8 0.0 in 23 14.6 h
July 86°F73°F 5.3 in9 0.0 in 29 14.3 h
August 84°F72°F 5.6 in8 0.0 in 29 13.5 h
September 79°F69°F 4.5 in7 0.0 in 22 12.4 h
October 71°F58°F 3.2 in6 0.0 in 10 11.3 h
November 61°F48°F 2.9 in6 0.0 in 2 10.3 h
December 55°F40°F 3.3 in7 0.0 in 1 9.8 h

High and low: NOAA 1991-2020 normal daily high and low. Wet days: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow. Muggy days: daily mean dew point 65°F or higher.

Best months to visit Nags Head

By our comfort score, the best months are April and May.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 44364
Feb 49463
Mar 58861
Apr 681350
May 661061
Jun 54274
Jul 47079
Aug 48075
Sep 53461
Oct 611150
Nov 54750
Dec 46351

Score = 40 × share of comfortable days + 25 × share of days without notable rain + 20 × share of days neither hot (90°F+) nor cold (high 40°F or below) + 15 × daylight. How the score works.

Frost dates in Nags Head

The last spring frost typically comes around Mar 15, and the first fall frost around Dec 6, leaving 266 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Nags Head
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Mar 15after Mar 30
First fall frost (32°F)Dec 6before Nov 19
Last hard freeze (28°F)Feb 28after Mar 19
First hard freeze (28°F)Dec 25before Dec 4
Frost-free season266 daysunder 242 days

"Typical" is the date with a 50% chance of a later spring frost (or earlier fall frost). Planting after the "1 year in 10" spring date gives a 90% chance of no further frost. The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes 30% dates, which fall between our typical and 1-in-10 dates.

Station: Manteo Airport (USW00013766), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in North Carolina.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 101°F (June 24, 2010); the lowest was 9°F (January 19, 1994).

From the temperature station's daily records with NOAA quality flags removed. Not an all-time record.

Near Nags Head

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, snowfall, snow depth and frost dates: Manteo Airport (USW00013766), 5.1 mi WSW of the city center, 13 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Humidity and wind by hour: Cape Hatteras Airport (USW00093729), 50 mi S of the city center, 11 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Billy Mitchell Airport (723139-93729), 50 mi S of the city center, 12 ft . Hourly observations, 1991-2020.
  • Not available for this location: cloud cover (no station close enough or similar enough in elevation).

Distances from the city center (USGS). Methodology · Report an error