Charlotte, North Carolina climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Charlotte's normal year runs from 32°F January nights to 90°F July afternoons, with 43.6 inches of precipitation and 4 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 16.3°C, January lows of 0°C, July highs of 32°C, 1,107 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationCharlotte Douglas Airport
- Station IDUSW00013881
- Location35.22°N 80.96°W
- Elevation728 ft (222 m)
- From the center7 miles
- Population943,476
On October 22, the normal high in Charlotte is 71°F and the normal low 48°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 24%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Charlotte.
- Jan 52° 32°
- Feb 57° 35°
- Mar 64° 41°
- Apr 73° 49°
- May 80° 58°
- Jun 87° 66°
- Jul 90° 70°
- Aug 89° 69°
- Sep 83° 63°
- Oct 73° 50°
- Nov 63° 40°
- Dec 55° 35°
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 Charlotte each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 90°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 32°F. The most precipitation falls in August (4.35 in), the least in February (3.13 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 | 52°F | 32°F | 42.1°F | 3.49 | 1.6 | 10 | <1 | 17 | 10 h |
| February | 57°F | 35°F | 45.7°F | 3.13 | 1.1 | 10 | <1 | 12 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 64°F | 41°F | 52.7°F | 3.95 | 0.3 | 10 | <1 | 6 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 73°F | 49°F | 61.1°F | 3.84 | 0.0 | 9 | <1 | 1 | 13 h |
| May | 80°F | 58°F | 69.0°F | 3.36 | 0.0 | 10 | 2 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 87°F | 66°F | 76.6°F | 3.99 | 0.0 | 11 | 10 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 90°F | 70°F | 80.1°F | 3.74 | 0.0 | 11 | 18 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 89°F | 69°F | 78.6°F | 4.35 | 0.0 | 10 | 14 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 83°F | 63°F | 72.7°F | 3.71 | 0.0 | 8 | 5 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 73°F | 50°F | 61.9°F | 3.16 | 0.0 | 7 | <1 | 1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 63°F | 40°F | 51.4°F | 3.31 | 0.1 | 8 | <1 | 7 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 55°F | 35°F | 44.7°F | 3.57 | 0.4 | 10 | <1 | 14 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 72°F | 51°F | 61.4°F | 43.60 | 3.5 | 112 | 49 | 58 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11°C | 0°C | 5.6°C | 89 mm | 4 cm |
| February | 14°C | 2°C | 7.6°C | 80 mm | 3 cm |
| March | 18°C | 5°C | 11.5°C | 100 mm | 1 cm |
| April | 23°C | 10°C | 16.2°C | 98 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 27°C | 14°C | 20.6°C | 85 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 31°C | 19°C | 24.8°C | 101 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 32°C | 21°C | 26.7°C | 95 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 31°C | 20°C | 25.9°C | 110 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 28°C | 17°C | 22.6°C | 94 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 23°C | 10°C | 16.6°C | 80 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 17°C | 4°C | 10.8°C | 84 mm | 0 cm |
| December | 13°C | 1°C | 7.1°C | 91 mm | 1 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00013881; 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 Charlotte?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, September and October. Of those, October has the fewest days with rain (7).
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 USW00013881.
When is the last frost in Charlotte?
In Charlotte, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 30 in half of years and after April 14 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 3 in half of years and before October 22 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 301 year in 10 after April 14; 9 in 10 after March 12
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 31 year in 10 before October 22; 9 in 10 before November 17
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 221 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 245 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 17 in half of springs and before November 14 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Charlotte in zone 8a across its 27 ZIP code areas (8a in 28269, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Charlotte's NOAA station is in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 13°F (30 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 USW00013881; 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 Charlotte ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Charlotte's 27 ZIP code areas are all in zone 8a. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
| ZIP code | Zone | Land in Charlotte |
|---|---|---|
| 28105 | 8a | 9.5 km² |
| 28134 | 8a | 3.5 km² |
| 28202 | 8a | 4.7 km² |
| 28203 | 8a | 8.1 km² |
| 28204 | 8a | 4.6 km² |
| 28205 | 8a | 30.6 km² |
| 28206 | 8a | 18.1 km² |
| 28207 | 8a | 6.3 km² |
| 28208 | 8a | 52.4 km² |
| 28209 | 8a | 14.2 km² |
| 28210 | 8a | 31.0 km² |
| 28211 | 8a | 28.4 km² |
| 28212 | 8a | 23.8 km² |
| 28213 | 8a | 32.3 km² |
| 28214 | 8a | 49.6 km² |
| 28215 | 8a | 54.2 km² |
| 28216 | 8a | 50.1 km² |
| 28217 | 8a | 36.6 km² |
| 28223 | 8a | 1.8 km² |
| 28226 | 8a | 37.7 km² |
| 28227 | 8a | 18.5 km² |
| 28262 | 8a | 42.9 km² |
| 28269 | 8a | 72.7 km² |
| 28270 | 8a | 32.1 km² |
| 28273 | 8a | 55.6 km² |
| 28277 | 8a | 58.1 km² |
| 28278 | 8a | 20.4 km² |
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 Charlotte?
In a normal year in Charlotte, 49 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 58 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 112 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 49a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 58a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 1high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 112a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 1a normal year
The highest temperature in Charlotte's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1878) is 104°F, on June 30, 2012; the lowest is −5°F, on January 21, 1985.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1884, with 68.44 in; the snowiest season is 1959–60, with 22.6 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00013881; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record CLTthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Charlotte, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 67°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 68°F, above the 65°F at which most people call the air sticky; the driest air comes in January (28°F). March is the windiest month (7.7 mph on average), and October has the most clear or nearly clear hours (48%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28°F | 57% | 40% | 6.7 mph | 40% | 35% |
| February | 34°F | 57% | 41% | 7.4 mph | 37% | 36% |
| March | 41°F | 55% | 39% | 7.7 mph | 37% | 34% |
| April | 51°F | 63% | 45% | 7.2 mph | 36% | 29% |
| May | 61°F | 68% | 49% | 6.1 mph | 28% | 29% |
| June | 67°F | 69% | 49% | 5.6 mph | 26% | 23% |
| July | 68°F | 71% | 51% | 5.4 mph | 26% | 26% |
| August | 65°F | 71% | 51% | 5.6 mph | 35% | 25% |
| September | 57°F | 71% | 50% | 5.9 mph | 43% | 27% |
| October | 45°F | 67% | 45% | 5.5 mph | 48% | 29% |
| November | 36°F | 63% | 44% | 5.9 mph | 44% | 29% |
| December | 32°F | 64% | 47% | 5.9 mph | 38% | 37% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00013881. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Charlotte?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Charlotte, 4.5 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (82%) and February the cloudiest (72%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 243rd (with 32 others) in sunshine.
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 75% | 2.6 |
| February | 72% | 3.3 |
| March | 73% | 4.4 |
| April | 77% | 5.5 |
| May | 77% | 6.0 |
| June | 82% | 6.5 |
| July | 80% | 6.1 |
| August | 80% | 5.5 |
| September | 78% | 4.7 |
| October | 77% | 3.8 |
| November | 78% | 2.9 |
| December | 73% | 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 Charlotte need?
A normal year in Charlotte brings 3,058 heating degree days, 43% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,769 cooling degree days, 95% 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 5,035 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 712 | 0 |
| February | 541 | 2 |
| March | 392 | 10 |
| April | 163 | 47 |
| May | 39 | 165 |
| June | 2 | 348 |
| July | 0 | 468 |
| August | 0 | 423 |
| September | 13 | 244 |
| October | 152 | 54 |
| November | 415 | 6 |
| December | 631 | 1 |
| Year (annual) | 3,058 | 1,769 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00013881. 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 Charlotte been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 63.1°F, 1.7°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 61.4°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 62.6°F | +1.2°F | 35.67 | 0.3 |
| 2022 | 62.4°F | +1.0°F | 44.36 | 4.3 |
| 2023 | 63.5°F | +2.1°F | 46.18 | 0.0 |
| 2024 | 64.0°F | +2.6°F | 50.98 | 0.0 |
| 2025 | 63.1°F | +1.7°F | 35.33 | 1.2 |
Over 81 complete years from 1940 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 2.4°F per century (+0.13°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00013881; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Charlotte's climate compare?
Charlotte is warmer than 89 of the other 130 places with their own NOAA record in North Carolina, and wetter than 8. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 61.4°F is warmer than 78%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Charlotte 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.
Which places near Charlotte share this climate record?
7 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Huntersville, NCalso near: Concord (16 mi, 60.7°F a year); Gastonia (22 mi, 62.1°F a year)67,087 people · 14 mi N
- Fort Mill, SC36,244 people · 15 mi S
- Mount Holly, NC18,723 people · 7 mi NW
- Belmont, NC16,044 people · 5 mi W
- Tega Cay, SC14,294 people · 13 mi S
- Baxter Village, SC4,355 people · 14 mi S
- Lowesville, NC3,737 people · 14 mi N
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Charlotte's climate
What is the coldest month in Charlotte?
January, with a normal high of 52°F and a normal low of 32°F. The warmest is July (90°F by day, 70°F at night).
Does it snow in Charlotte?
Yes: 4 inches in a normal year, falling on 2 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (1.6 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Charlotte?
August, with 4.35 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 3.13 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Charlotte in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Charlotte in zone 8a across its 27 ZIP code areas (8a in 28269, the largest). By the same method at Charlotte's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 13°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 8a.
How late can frost come in Charlotte?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 30; in one year in ten it comes after April 14. Waiting until April 14 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Charlotte in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- North Carolina climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Gastonia, NC11 miles from this station, 62.1°F a year
- Rock Hill, SC17 miles from this station, 61.0°F a year
- Winthrop University, SC20 miles from this station, 62.1°F a year
- Monroe, NC24 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