Graham, North Carolina climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Graham's normal year runs from 29°F January nights to 90°F July afternoons, with 47.2 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 15.3°C, January lows of −2°C, July highs of 32°C, 1,199 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationHaw River (1 mi E)
- Station IDUSC00313919
- Location36.06°N 79.37°W
- Elevation636 ft (194 m)
- Population19,311
On October 14, the normal high in Graham is 73°F and the normal low 50°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Graham.
- Jan 50° 29°
- Feb 54° 31°
- Mar 62° 39°
- Apr 72° 46°
- May 80° 56°
- Jun 87° 64°
- Jul 90° 69°
- Aug 88° 67°
- Sep 82° 61°
- Oct 72° 49°
- Nov 61° 37°
- Dec 53° 32°
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 Graham each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 90°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 29°F. The most precipitation falls in September (4.88 in), the least in February (2.99 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50°F | 29°F | 39.3°F | 3.33 | – | <1 | 21 | 10 h |
| February | 54°F | 31°F | 42.5°F | 2.99 | – | <1 | 16 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 62°F | 39°F | 50.4°F | 4.14 | – | <1 | 10 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 72°F | 46°F | 59.3°F | 4.06 | – | 1 | 2 | 13 h |
| May | 80°F | 56°F | 67.9°F | 3.77 | – | 3 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 87°F | 64°F | 75.6°F | 4.82 | – | 12 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 90°F | 69°F | 79.5°F | 4.32 | – | 19 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 88°F | 67°F | 77.2°F | 4.39 | – | 14 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 82°F | 61°F | 71.2°F | 4.88 | – | 5 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 72°F | 49°F | 60.2°F | 3.47 | – | <1 | 1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 61°F | 37°F | 48.9°F | 3.40 | – | <1 | 13 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 53°F | 32°F | 42.4°F | 3.64 | – | <1 | 16 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 71°F | 48°F | 59.5°F | 47.21 | – | 54 | 80 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10°C | −2°C | 4.1°C | 85 mm |
| February | 12°C | 0°C | 5.8°C | 76 mm |
| March | 17°C | 4°C | 10.2°C | 105 mm |
| April | 22°C | 8°C | 15.2°C | 103 mm |
| May | 26°C | 13°C | 19.9°C | 96 mm |
| June | 31°C | 18°C | 24.2°C | 122 mm |
| July | 32°C | 21°C | 26.4°C | 110 mm |
| August | 31°C | 19°C | 25.1°C | 112 mm |
| September | 28°C | 16°C | 21.8°C | 124 mm |
| October | 22°C | 9°C | 15.7°C | 88 mm |
| November | 16°C | 3°C | 9.4°C | 86 mm |
| December | 12°C | 0°C | 5.8°C | 92 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Carrboro (19 miles away), gets 3 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00313919; 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 Graham?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, September and October.
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 USC00313919.
When is the last frost in Graham?
In Graham, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 4 in half of years and after April 19 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 3 in half of years and before October 24 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
- April 41 year in 10 after April 19; 9 in 10 after March 15
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 31 year in 10 before October 24; 9 in 10 before November 17
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 215 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 241 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 20 in half of springs and before November 13 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Graham in zone 8a in ZIP code 27253.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in North Carolina · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00313919; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Graham?
In a normal year in Graham, 54 days a year reach 90°F (2 of them 100°F or more) and 80 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 54a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 2a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 80a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 3high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00313919.
How sunny is Graham?
Over a year 76% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Graham, 4.3 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (80%) and February the cloudiest (71%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 74% | 2.5 |
| February | 71% | 3.2 |
| March | 72% | 4.2 |
| April | 76% | 5.4 |
| May | 75% | 5.8 |
| June | 80% | 6.3 |
| July | 79% | 6.0 |
| August | 78% | 5.4 |
| September | 75% | 4.5 |
| October | 76% | 3.6 |
| November | 77% | 2.8 |
| December | 72% | 2.2 |
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 Graham need?
A normal year in Graham brings 3,552 heating degree days, 34% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,593 cooling degree days, 75% 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 4,653 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 797 | 0 |
| February | 629 | 0 |
| March | 460 | 8 |
| April | 209 | 38 |
| May | 58 | 147 |
| June | 2 | 320 |
| July | 0 | 449 |
| August | 1 | 379 |
| September | 17 | 205 |
| October | 193 | 44 |
| November | 485 | 2 |
| December | 701 | 1 |
| Year (annual) | 3,552 | 1,593 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00313919. 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.
How does Graham's climate compare?
Graham is warmer than 61 of the other 130 places with their own NOAA record in North Carolina, and wetter than 31. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 59.5°F is warmer than 73%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Graham 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 Graham share this climate record?
5 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.
- Mebane, NC20,654 people · 5 mi E
- Green Level, NC3,362 people · 4 mi N
- Swepsonville, NC2,582 people · 3 mi S
- Haw River, NC2,391 people · 2 mi N
- Woodlawn, NC996 people · 6 mi NE
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 Graham's climate
What is the coldest month in Graham?
January, with a normal high of 50°F and a normal low of 29°F. The warmest is July (90°F by day, 69°F at night).
Does it snow in Graham?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Graham's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Carrboro (19 miles away), records 3 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Graham?
September, with 4.88 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.99 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Graham in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Graham in zone 8a in ZIP code 27253.
How late can frost come in Graham?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 4; in one year in ten it comes after April 19. Waiting until April 19 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- North Carolina climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Burlington, NC6 miles from this station, 60.7°F a year
- Cane Creek Reservoir, NC11 miles from this station, 58.6°F a year
- Chapel Hill, NC19 miles from this station, 60.6°F a year
- Carrboro, NC19 miles from this station, 59.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made