Climateby Month

Raleigh, NC climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 315 ft elevation

Summers in Raleigh are hot and oppressively humid; winters are chilly. Highs peak at 91°F in July and fall to 52°F in January. Wet days are spread through the year, from about 6 to 9 a month. Normal snowfall is about 5.2 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is April.

Warmest month
91°F
July normal high
Coldest month
32°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
92
49.4 in of precipitation
Snow a year
5.2 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Raleigh?

Normal highs range from 52°F in January to 91°F in July.

20°40°60°80°100° January: normal high 52°F (11°C), low 32°F (0°C) 52° 32° February: normal high 55°F (13°C), low 33°F (1°C) March: normal high 63°F (17°C), low 40°F (4°C) April: normal high 72°F (22°C), low 49°F (9°C) May: normal high 80°F (27°C), low 58°F (14°C) June: normal high 87°F (31°C), low 66°F (19°C) July: normal high 91°F (33°C), low 70°F (21°C) 91° 70° August: normal high 89°F (32°C), low 69°F (21°C) September: normal high 82°F (28°C), low 63°F (17°C) October: normal high 73°F (23°C), low 51°F (11°C) November: normal high 62°F (17°C), low 41°F (5°C) December: normal high 55°F (13°C), low 35°F (2°C) JFMAMJJASOND

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

How rainy is Raleigh?

July has the most wet days (about 9); the year brings about 49 in of precipitation.

January: 8 wet days February: 7 wet days March: 8 wet days April: 7 wet days May: 8 wet days June: 9 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: 8 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 5.2 in a year, most of it in January.

January: 2.6 in of snow 2.6 February: 1.4 in of snow March: 0.3 in of snow April: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 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: 0.1 in of snow December: 0.8 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Raleigh?

Muggy days peak in July, at about 26 days.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 6 muggy days June: 18 muggy days July: 26 muggy days 26 August: 24 muggy days September: 13 muggy days October: 3 muggy days November: 0 muggy days December: 0 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, 12 mi NW of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.8 hours in December to 14.5 hours in June.

January: 10.1 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: 14.5 hours of daylight 14.5 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 Raleigh, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 52°F32°F 3.6 in8 2.6 in 0 10.1 h
February 55°F33°F 2.9 in7 1.4 in 0 10.9 h
March 63°F40°F 4.2 in8 0.3 in 0 12.0 h
April 72°F49°F 3.6 in7 0.0 in 0 13.1 h
May 80°F58°F 4.0 in8 0.0 in 6 14.1 h
June 87°F66°F 4.9 in9 0.0 in 18 14.5 h
July 91°F70°F 4.7 in9 0.0 in 26 14.3 h
August 89°F69°F 4.7 in8 0.0 in 24 13.5 h
September 82°F63°F 5.7 in7 0.0 in 13 12.4 h
October 73°F51°F 3.9 in6 0.0 in 3 11.3 h
November 62°F41°F 3.5 in6 0.1 in 0 10.3 h
December 55°F35°F 3.7 in8 0.8 in 0 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 Raleigh

By our comfort score, the best month is April.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 43476
Feb 50563
Mar 621271
Apr 731760
May 651163
Jun 492710
Jul 410718
Aug 431713
Sep 55664
Oct 691750
Nov 581150
Dec 46462

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 Raleigh

The last spring frost typically comes around Mar 28, and the first fall frost around Nov 8, leaving 229 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Raleigh
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Mar 28after Apr 12
First fall frost (32°F)Nov 8before Oct 28
Last hard freeze (28°F)Mar 14after Mar 31
First hard freeze (28°F)Nov 23before Nov 6
Frost-free season229 daysunder 208 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: Raleigh State Univ (USC00317079), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in North Carolina.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 107°F (July 29, 2011); the lowest was 2°F (January 20, 1994, and 1 other day).

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

Near Raleigh

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain and frost dates: Raleigh State Univ (USC00317079), 3.6 mi WNW of the city center, 400 ft (85 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Snowfall, snow depth and humidity and wind by hour: Raleigh Durham Intl Airport (USW00013722), 12 mi NW of the city center, 416 ft (101 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Cloud cover: Pope AFB (USW00013714), 46 mi SSW of the city center, 218 ft (97 ft lower than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Raleigh-Durham International Airport (723060-13722), 12 mi NW of the city center, 395 ft (80 ft higher than the city). Hourly observations, 1991-2020.

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