Cape Hatteras, NC Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Cape Hatteras's primary NOAA station, CAPE HATTERAS AP.
The climate verdict for Cape Hatteras
Water is the standout signal in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina: 61.2 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 65°F. Its climate comfort score of 73/100 (good) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 66% of station-mapped location scores.
- 65°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 73/100
- comfort score, above 66% of station-mapped location scores
- 61.2"
- precipitation, annual total
- 293 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Cape Hatteras: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USW00093729 · Cape Hatteras, NC 65°F mean · 61.2" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-WET · SWING-MID · COMF-MID · LOAD-MIX · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 65°F
- RANK-UPPER #5,969
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Big Spring
- PRCP-WET 61.2"
- SWING-MID 33°F
- COMF-MID 73/100
- LOAD-MIX H/C balanced
- STN-1 USW00093729
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Big Spring, TX (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every NC station list.
- Cape Hatteras (this station) 65°F
- Hot Cuthbert, GA 65°F
- Near Big Spring, TX 65°F
- Near Camden, AL 65°F
- Near Columbus, NM 65°F
Climate Living Index · Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras: 67/100 · grade C
Cape Hatteras publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals · NOAA hourly normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Cape Hatteras, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 73/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Frost-free season | 293 days/year | 100/100 · A |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 0 calendar days | 100/100 · A |
| Annual temperature balance | 64.8°F · 2.7° from 67.5°F | 92/100 · A |
| Precipitation balance | 61.2 in · 26.2 from 35 in | 9/100 · F |
| Summer moisture balance | 72.0°F mean dew point | 7/100 · F |
Cape Hatteras · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Cape Hatteras is a temperate Köppen climate: Cfa
Coldest-month mean 48.0°F and warmest-month mean 81.3°F place this station in temperate, no dry season, hot summer climates (Cfa). Class Cfa is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: temperate, specifically temperate, no dry season, hot summer.
- Köppen code
- Cfa
- Group
- Temperate
- Warmest month
- 81.3°F
- Coldest month
- 48.0°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · balanced station
Where Cape Hatteras sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Cape Hatteras's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Top 13% warmest
- Among 6,861 stations, Cape Hatteras sits in the warmer third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Top 5% wettest
- Cape Hatteras's annual total ranks in the wetter third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 86%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Cape Hatteras is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Cape Hatteras compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Cape Hatteras's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
73 Top 34% score exceeds 66% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Below this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). This entry sits in this band.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Cape Hatteras's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 144 complete annual observations from 1875 to 2025, CAPE HATTERAS AP warmed at a fitted rate of 0.06°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Cape Hatteras primary station fitted change +0.06 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 55°F (13°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 4.9" | 7.1 | 0.0 |
| February | 57°F (14°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 49°F (10°C) | 4.3" | 4.7 | 0.0 |
| March | 61°F (16°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 4.4" | 1.7 | 0.0 |
| April | 69°F (21°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 3.9" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| May | 77°F (25°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 4.4" | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| June | 84°F (29°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 78°F (25°C) | 4.4" | 0.0 | 1.1 |
| July | 87°F (31°C) | 75°F (24°C) | 81°F (27°C) | 5.4" | 0.0 | 3.5 |
| August | 87°F (31°C) | 74°F (24°C) | 81°F (27°C) | 6.7" | 0.0 | 2.9 |
| September | 83°F (28°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 77°F (25°C) | 7.6" | 0.0 | 0.4 |
| October | 75°F (24°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 5.6" | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| November | 66°F (19°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 4.8" | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| December | 59°F (15°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 4.7" | 2.8 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
The calendar barely moves in Cape Hatteras: no date carries a normal high of 90°F or a normal low at freezing. The year runs between 40°F near January 24 and 88°F near July 20.
No freezing date
Not one calendar date in the 1991–2020 record carries a normal low at or below 32°F. The coldest normal low of the year is 40°F around January 24.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is August 1, when 39% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is May 8 at 30%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 126 wet dates a year.
The widest day
April 3 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 16°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Cape Hatteras.
Where Cape Hatteras Stands Nationally
This is one of the wettest normals climates ranked: about 61 inches of precipitation in a normal year, a total fewer than one station in ten surpasses.
Among the steadiest day-night climates ranked: even the widest normal daily swing holds to roughly 16°F.
Cape Hatteras earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall
10.9 days with precipitation
10.5 days with precipitation
10.7 days with precipitation
8.9 days with precipitation
9.1 days with precipitation
10.1 days with precipitation
11.5 days with precipitation
11.8 days with precipitation
11.2 days with precipitation
9.5 days with precipitation
9.8 days with precipitation
11.2 days with precipitation
Cape Hatteras spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 27% of the annual total and December through February 23%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Cape Hatteras has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 33.3°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: September averages 7.6" and April 3.9". The three wettest months together take 33% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
When it rains in Cape Hatteras, it arrives in quantity
61.2" of precipitation falls across only about 125 wet days here, averaging 0.49 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.
- Days with measurable precipitation
- about 125 a year, 34% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.49 inches
- Most wet days
- August, about 12
- Fewest wet days
- April, about 9
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
December 22
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
March 4
50% probability date
Growing Season
293 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
2,168
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
2,127
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Humidity & Wind
Monthly averages from hourly observations
| Month | Humidity | Wind (mph) | Clear Sky % | Overcast % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 73% | 9.6 | N/A | N/A |
| February | 72% | 9.8 | N/A | N/A |
| March | 72% | 10.4 | N/A | N/A |
| April | 76% | 10.2 | N/A | N/A |
| May | 77% | 9.0 | N/A | N/A |
| June | 78% | 9.0 | N/A | N/A |
| July | 80% | 8.4 | N/A | N/A |
| August | 79% | 8.6 | N/A | N/A |
| September | 77% | 8.3 | N/A | N/A |
| October | 73% | 8.8 | N/A | N/A |
| November | 74% | 8.8 | N/A | N/A |
| December | 74% | 9.1 | N/A | N/A |
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside NC closest to Cape Hatteras on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (65°F here).
- Big Spring, TX 65°F · 0.0°F off
- Camden, AL 65°F · 0.0°F off
- Columbus, NM 65°F · 0.0°F off
- Cuthbert, GA 65°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (61.2" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Cave Junction, OR 61.2" · 0.0" off
- Evergreen, AL 61.3" · 0.1" off
- Panama City, FL 61.3" · 0.1" off
- Kilauea, HI 61.3" · 0.1" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Cape Hatteras's climate pattern fits together
mixed demand · wet · mid swing
Water is prominent even though neither heating nor cooling wholly defines the record. Cape Hatteras averages 61.2 inches of precipitation a year. Snowfall is not added to the interpretation because its annual value is missing. The monthly table supplies the seasonal distribution hidden by that annual total.
July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Cape Hatteras's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 33.3°F. The annual average is 65°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Heating and cooling both register in Cape Hatteras's normal, at 2,168 and 2,127 degree days respectively. Neither total exceeds the other by more than two to one, so the record is better read as a mixed-demand calendar than as heating-led or cooling-led.
The frost-free window extends for about 293 days. That is a long calendar measure, but it is not a forecast and does not combine heat, rainfall, soil, or local elevation into a planting recommendation.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Cape Hatteras's primary station, where heating and cooling demand are close enough that neither season sets the character on its own. On a balanced station like Cape Hatteras, the bands are descriptive ranges rather than an official NOAA classification or a forecast.
Questions about Cape Hatteras's climate
How much rain does Cape Hatteras get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Cape Hatteras? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Cape Hatteras's primary station: CAPE HATTERAS AP (USW00093729). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The conservative exact name-and-state crosswalk finds no Census place match, so PlainClimate treats this as a station-mapped location and does not claim it is a municipality. No exact Gazetteer row for Cape Hatteras; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Cape Hatteras comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.