Charlotte, 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 Charlotte's primary NOAA station, CHARLOTTE DOUGLAS AP.
The climate verdict for Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina has a mixed annual climate rather than one dominant extreme. Its NOAA normal shows an annual average of 61°F. It scores 93/100 for climate comfort (excellent), putting it in the top third of station-mapped location scores and exceeding 93% of them.
- 61°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 93/100
- comfort score, above 93% of station-mapped location scores
- 43.6"
- annual precipitation · 4" snow
- 218 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Charlotte: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USW00013881 · Charlotte, NC 61°F mean · 43.6" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-MID · COMF-TOP · LOAD-MIX · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 61°F
- RANK-UPPER #5,352
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Aberdeen
- PRCP-MID 43.6"
- SWING-MID 38°F
- COMF-TOP 93/100
- LOAD-MIX H/C balanced
- STN-1 USW00013881
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Aberdeen, MS (+ 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.
- Charlotte (this station) 61°F
- Hot Chattanooga, OK 61°F
- Near Aberdeen, MS 61°F
- Near Atoka, OK 61°F
- Near Blanchard, OK 61°F
Climate Living Index · Charlotte
Charlotte: 73/100 · grade B
Charlotte publishes all six Living Index dimensions from NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals · NOAA hourly normals.
PlainClimate-derived for Charlotte, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 93/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 53 calendar days | 91/100 · A |
| Annual temperature balance | 61.4°F · 6.1° from 67.5°F | 81/100 · B |
| Frost-free season | 218 days/year | 76/100 · B |
| Snowfall burden | 3.5 inches/year | 73/100 · B |
| Precipitation balance | 43.6 in · 8.6 from 35 in | 70/100 · B |
| Summer moisture balance | 66.6°F mean dew point | 28/100 · F |
Charlotte · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Charlotte is a temperate Köppen climate: Cfa
Coldest-month mean 42.1°F and warmest-month mean 80.1°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
- 80.1°F
- Coldest month
- 42.1°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 Charlotte sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Charlotte's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Top 22% warmest
- Among 6,861 stations, Charlotte sits in the warmer third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- 66th percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 73%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Charlotte is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Charlotte compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Charlotte's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
93 Top 7% score exceeds 93% 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%). Below this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Below this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). This entry sits in this band.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Charlotte's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 81 complete annual observations from 1940 to 2025, CHARLOTTE DOUGLAS AP warmed at a fitted rate of 0.13°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Charlotte primary station fitted change +0.13 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52°F (11°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 3.5" | 1.6" | 16.6 | 0.0 |
| February | 57°F (14°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 3.1" | 1.1" | 12.0 | 0.0 |
| March | 64°F (18°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 4.0" | 0.3" | 6.3 | 0.0 |
| April | 73°F (23°C) | 49°F (10°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 3.8" | 0.0" | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| May | 80°F (27°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 69°F (21°C) | 3.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 2.1 |
| June | 87°F (31°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 77°F (25°C) | 4.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 10.3 |
| July | 90°F (32°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 80°F (27°C) | 3.7" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 18.0 |
| August | 89°F (31°C) | 69°F (20°C) | 79°F (26°C) | 4.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 13.5 |
| September | 83°F (28°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 3.7" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 5.0 |
| October | 73°F (23°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 3.2" | 0.0" | 1.0 | 0.3 |
| November | 63°F (17°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 3.3" | 0.1" | 7.4 | 0.0 |
| December | 55°F (13°C) | 35°F (1°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 3.6" | 0.4" | 14.4 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Charlotte works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 91°F by July 11 and hold at or above 90°F on 30 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 23 dates, bottoming at 32°F around January 12.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from July 3 through August 1, covering 30 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs April 5 to October 25.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
The freezing stretch
Freezing normal lows persist into January 27, covering 23 dates.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is July 28, when 35% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is October 22 at 24%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 113 wet dates a year.
The widest day
April 12 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 24°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Charlotte.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 1.6"
10.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.1"
9.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.3"
10.2 days with precipitation
9.0 days with precipitation
9.5 days with precipitation
10.6 days with precipitation
10.5 days with precipitation
10.1 days with precipitation
7.7 days with precipitation
7.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
8.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.4"
9.6 days with precipitation
Charlotte spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 28% of the annual total and December through February 23%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Charlotte has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 38°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: August averages 4.3" and February 3.1". The three wettest months together take 28% 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 Charlotte, it arrives in quantity
43.6" of precipitation falls across only about 112 wet days here, averaging 0.39 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 112 a year, 31% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.39 inches
- Most wet days
- June, about 11
- Fewest wet days
- October, about 7
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.
Snow reaches Charlotte, but rarely amounts to much
The normals record 3.5 inches of snow a year here, most likely in January. That is a real but marginal amount: enough that snow is part of the local record, not enough to define the winter.
A figure in this range usually reflects a handful of events that melt quickly rather than a season of accumulation; about 2 days a year record any measurable snow at all.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. An average across thirty years can smooth away a single heavy winter, so a small annual figure does not mean a significant snowfall is impossible.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
November 3
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
March 30
50% probability date
Growing Season
218 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
3,058
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,769
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 | 57% | 6.7 | 24% | 35% |
| February | 57% | 7.4 | 22% | 36% |
| March | 55% | 7.7 | 21% | 34% |
| April | 63% | 7.2 | 20% | 29% |
| May | 68% | 6.1 | 12% | 29% |
| June | 69% | 5.6 | 11% | 23% |
| July | 71% | 5.4 | 10% | 26% |
| August | 71% | 5.6 | 16% | 25% |
| September | 71% | 5.9 | 25% | 27% |
| October | 67% | 5.5 | 31% | 29% |
| November | 63% | 5.9 | 28% | 29% |
| December | 64% | 5.9 | 23% | 37% |
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside NC closest to Charlotte 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 (61°F here).
- Aberdeen, MS 61°F · 0.0°F off
- Atoka, OK 61°F · 0.0°F off
- Blanchard, OK 61°F · 0.0°F off
- Chattanooga, OK 61°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (43.6" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Boston, MA 43.6" · 0.0" off
- Buchanan, VA 43.6" · 0.0" off
- Butler, MO 43.6" · 0.0" off
- Lynchburg, VA 43.6" · 0.0" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Charlotte's climate pattern fits together
mixed demand · moderate · mid swing
July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Charlotte's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 38.0°F. The annual average is 61°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Heating and cooling both register in Charlotte's normal, at 3,058 and 1,769 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.
A roughly 218-day frost-free season sits inside this mixed heating-and-cooling profile. Start and end dates matter because both sides of the thermostat register during a normal year.
Charlotte's 43.6 inches of annual precipitation falls in PlainClimate's middle band, so “wet” or “dry” is not the leading description. Annual snowfall totals 3.5 inches. Temperature balance and the calendar distribution carry more information than the annual moisture label alone.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Charlotte'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 Charlotte, the bands are descriptive ranges rather than an official NOAA classification or a forecast.
Questions about Charlotte's climate
How much rain does Charlotte get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Charlotte get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Charlotte? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Charlotte's primary station: CHARLOTTE DOUGLAS AP (USW00013881). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 3712000). Match rule for Charlotte: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Charlotte 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.