Apex, North Carolina climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Apex's normal year runs from 31°F January nights to 89°F July afternoons, with 48.3 inches of precipitation and 5 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 15.6°C, January lows of −1°C, July highs of 32°C, 1,228 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationApex
- Station IDUSC00310212
- Location35.74°N 78.84°W
- Elevation450 ft (137 m)
- From the center3 miles
- Population75,977
On October 23, the normal high in Apex is 70°F and the normal low 46°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 27%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Apex.
- Jan 51° 31°
- Feb 54° 33°
- Mar 62° 39°
- Apr 72° 48°
- May 79° 57°
- Jun 86° 65°
- Jul 89° 69°
- Aug 87° 68°
- Sep 82° 62°
- Oct 72° 50°
- Nov 62° 40°
- Dec 54° 34°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Apex each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 89°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 31°F. The most precipitation falls in September (5.27 in), the least in February (3.00 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51°F | 31°F | 40.9°F | 3.65 | 2.9 | 10 | <1 | 19 | 10 h |
| February | 54°F | 33°F | 43.5°F | 3.00 | 1.0 | 10 | <1 | 15 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 62°F | 39°F | 50.5°F | 4.08 | 0.4 | 11 | <1 | 9 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 72°F | 48°F | 59.6°F | 3.63 | 0.0 | 10 | <1 | 1 | 13 h |
| May | 79°F | 57°F | 67.7°F | 3.83 | 0.0 | 10 | 2 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 86°F | 65°F | 75.4°F | 4.33 | 0.0 | 11 | 9 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 89°F | 69°F | 79.2°F | 5.07 | 0.0 | 12 | 15 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 87°F | 68°F | 77.5°F | 4.64 | 0.0 | 10 | 11 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 82°F | 62°F | 71.6°F | 5.27 | 0.0 | 9 | 3 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 72°F | 50°F | 60.7°F | 3.71 | 0.0 | 8 | <1 | <1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 62°F | 40°F | 50.9°F | 3.45 | 0.3 | 8 | <1 | 7 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 54°F | 34°F | 44.0°F | 3.67 | 0.2 | 11 | <1 | 16 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 71°F | 50°F | 60.1°F | 48.33 | 4.8 | 119 | 41 | 67 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11°C | −1°C | 4.9°C | 93 mm | 7 cm |
| February | 12°C | 0°C | 6.4°C | 76 mm | 3 cm |
| March | 17°C | 4°C | 10.3°C | 104 mm | 1 cm |
| April | 22°C | 9°C | 15.3°C | 92 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 26°C | 14°C | 19.8°C | 97 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 30°C | 18°C | 24.1°C | 110 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 32°C | 21°C | 26.2°C | 129 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 31°C | 20°C | 25.3°C | 118 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 28°C | 17°C | 22.0°C | 134 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 22°C | 10°C | 15.9°C | 94 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 17°C | 4°C | 10.5°C | 88 mm | 1 cm |
| December | 12°C | 1°C | 6.7°C | 93 mm | 1 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00310212; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Apex?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, September and October. Of those, October has the fewest days with rain (8).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00310212.
When is the last frost in Apex?
In Apex, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 27 in half of years and after April 10 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 8 in half of years and before October 26 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- March 271 year in 10 after April 10; 9 in 10 after March 8
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 81 year in 10 before October 26; 9 in 10 before November 24
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 227 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 253 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 15 in half of springs and before November 21 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Apex in zone 8a across its 2 ZIP code areas (8a in 27502, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Apex's NOAA station is in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 13°F (20 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in North Carolina · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00310212; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
What hardiness zone is each Apex ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Apex's 2 ZIP code areas are all in zone 8a. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
Source: USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; ZIP areas in the place: Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file. A ZIP area counts when at least a tenth of its land (and 0.5 km²) lies in the place.
How hot and how cold does it get in Apex?
In a normal year in Apex, 41 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 67 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 119 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 41a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 67a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 3high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 119a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 2a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00310212.
How sunny is Apex?
Over a year 78% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Apex, 4.5 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (82%) and February the cloudiest (73%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 210th (with 32 others) in sunshine.
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 75% | 2.6 |
| February | 73% | 3.3 |
| March | 74% | 4.3 |
| April | 78% | 5.5 |
| May | 78% | 6.1 |
| June | 81% | 6.4 |
| July | 82% | 6.2 |
| August | 80% | 5.5 |
| September | 78% | 4.7 |
| October | 77% | 3.7 |
| November | 78% | 2.9 |
| December | 74% | 2.3 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Apex need?
A normal year in Apex brings 3,352 heating degree days, 38% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,605 cooling degree days, 77% more than the median (908). Five months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 4,739 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 747 | 1 |
| February | 603 | 1 |
| March | 456 | 7 |
| April | 204 | 42 |
| May | 59 | 142 |
| June | 5 | 319 |
| July | 0 | 440 |
| August | 0 | 389 |
| September | 17 | 215 |
| October | 178 | 44 |
| November | 429 | 4 |
| December | 653 | 2 |
| Year (annual) | 3,352 | 1,605 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00310212. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Has Apex been warmer than normal lately?
2023 averaged 61.9°F, 1.8°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 60.1°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 61.9°F | +1.8°F | 54.96 | – |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00310212. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Apex's climate compare?
Apex is warmer than 69 of the other 130 places with their own NOAA record in North Carolina, and wetter than 44. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 60.1°F is warmer than 75%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Apex is Cfa: temperate, no dry season, hot summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Questions about Apex's climate
What is the coldest month in Apex?
January, with a normal high of 51°F and a normal low of 31°F. The warmest is July (89°F by day, 69°F at night).
Does it snow in Apex?
Yes: 5 inches in a normal year, falling on 3 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (2.9 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Apex?
September, with 5.27 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 3.00 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Apex in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Apex in zone 8a across its 2 ZIP code areas (8a in 27502, the largest). By the same method at Apex's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 13°F (20 years, 1991-2020): zone 8a.
How late can frost come in Apex?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 27; in one year in ten it comes after April 10. Waiting until April 10 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Apex in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- North Carolina climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Cary, NC3 miles from this station, 59.7°F a year
- New Hill, NC6 miles from this station, 59.2°F a year
- Chatham Water Treatment Plant, NC9 miles from this station, 60.4°F a year
- Raleigh, NC11 miles from this station, 61.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made