Raleigh Durham, NC Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Annual temperature and rainfall from NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 normals →; comfort score computed by PlainClimate
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Raleigh Durham's primary NOAA station, RALEIGH DURHAM INTL AP.
The climate verdict for Raleigh Durham
Water is the standout signal in Raleigh Durham, North Carolina: 46.1 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 61°F. It scores 88/100 for climate comfort (excellent), putting it in the top third of station-mapped location scores and exceeding 89% of them.
- 61°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 88/100
- comfort score, above 89% of station-mapped location scores
- 46.1"
- annual precipitation · 5" snow
- 218 days
- frost-free growing season
Raleigh Durham: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USW00013722 · Raleigh Durham, NC 61°F mean · 46.1" 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 ≈ Altus Dam
- PRCP-MID 46.1"
- SWING-MID 39°F
- COMF-TOP 88/100
- LOAD-MIX H/C balanced
- STN-1 USW00013722
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Altus Dam, OK (+ 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.
- Raleigh Durham (this station) 61°F
- Hot Avalon Catalina, CA 61°F
- Near Altus Dam, OK 61°F
- Near Ames Plantation, TN 61°F
- Near Auburn, CA 61°F
Climate Living Index · Raleigh Durham
Raleigh Durham: 69/100 · grade C
Raleigh Durham publishes all six Living Index dimensions from NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals · NOAA hourly normals.
PlainClimate-derived for Raleigh Durham, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 88/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 63 calendar days | 88/100 · A |
| Annual temperature balance | 61.2°F · 6.3° from 67.5°F | 80/100 · B |
| Frost-free season | 218 days/year | 76/100 · B |
| Snowfall burden | 5.2 inches/year | 70/100 · B |
| Precipitation balance | 46.1 in · 11.1 from 35 in | 61/100 · C |
| Summer moisture balance | 67.4°F mean dew point | 24/100 · F |
Raleigh Durham · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Raleigh Durham is a temperate Köppen climate: Cfa
Coldest-month mean 41.9°F and warmest-month mean 80.5°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
- 80.5°F
- Coldest month
- 41.9°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 Raleigh Durham sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Raleigh Durham'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, Raleigh Durham sits in the warmer third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Top 29% wettest
- Raleigh Durham's annual total ranks in the wetter third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 70%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Raleigh Durham is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Raleigh Durham compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Raleigh Durham's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
88 Top 11% score exceeds 89% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Raleigh Durham's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 130 complete annual observations from 1887 to 2024, RALEIGH DURHAM INTL AP warmed at a fitted rate of 0.12°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Raleigh Durham primary station fitted change +0.12 °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 (5°C) | 3.4" | 2.6" | 18.0 | 0.0 |
| February | 56°F (13°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 2.8" | 1.4" | 13.8 | 0.0 |
| March | 63°F (17°C) | 40°F (5°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 4.1" | 0.3" | 7.8 | 0.0 |
| April | 73°F (23°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 3.5" | 0.0" | 1.1 | 0.3 |
| May | 80°F (27°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 69°F (20°C) | 3.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 2.8 |
| June | 87°F (31°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 77°F (25°C) | 3.9" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 12.1 |
| July | 91°F (33°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 81°F (27°C) | 5.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 18.6 |
| August | 89°F (32°C) | 69°F (21°C) | 79°F (26°C) | 4.7" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 13.8 |
| September | 83°F (28°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 5.2" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 4.5 |
| October | 73°F (23°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 3.4" | 0.0" | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| November | 63°F (17°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 3.3" | 0.1" | 7.8 | 0.0 |
| December | 55°F (13°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 3.4" | 0.8" | 15.4 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Raleigh Durham works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 91°F by July 13 and hold at or above 90°F on 38 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 25 dates, bottoming at 32°F around January 15.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from June 28 through August 4, covering 38 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs April 7 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 29, covering 25 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 26, when 39% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is October 22 at 26%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 118 wet dates a year.
The widest day
April 9 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 Raleigh Durham.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 2.6"
10.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.4"
9.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.3"
10.7 days with precipitation
9.5 days with precipitation
9.9 days with precipitation
11.2 days with precipitation
11.7 days with precipitation
10.7 days with precipitation
9.0 days with precipitation
7.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
8.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.8"
9.7 days with precipitation
Raleigh Durham spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 30% of the annual total and December through February 21%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Raleigh Durham has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 38.6°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: September averages 5.2" and February 2.8". The three wettest months together take 32% 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 Raleigh Durham, it arrives in quantity
46.1" of precipitation falls across only about 118 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 118 a year, 32% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.39 inches
- Most wet days
- July, about 12
- Fewest wet days
- October, about 8
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 Raleigh Durham, but rarely amounts to much
The normals record 5.2 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 3 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 4
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
March 31
50% probability date
Growing Season
218 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
3,153
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,805
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 | 60% | 6.6 | 23% | 30% |
| February | 59% | 7.3 | 22% | 32% |
| March | 59% | 7.7 | 21% | 28% |
| April | 66% | 7.4 | 19% | 25% |
| May | 70% | 6.2 | 13% | 23% |
| June | 71% | 5.9 | 16% | 19% |
| July | 74% | 5.4 | 14% | 22% |
| August | 74% | 5.6 | 16% | 21% |
| September | 75% | 5.6 | 25% | 23% |
| October | 71% | 5.2 | 30% | 25% |
| November | 66% | 5.6 | 28% | 25% |
| December | 66% | 6.0 | 23% | 32% |
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside NC closest to Raleigh Durham 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).
- Auburn, CA 61°F · 0.0°F off
- Camden, SC 61°F · 0.0°F off
- Camp Hill, AL 61°F · 0.0°F off
- Chickamauga, GA 61°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (46.1" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Hudson, NH 46.1" · 0.0" off
- Deposit, NY 46.0" · 0.0" off
- Milford, NH 46.0" · 0.0" off
- Ripley, WV 46.0" · 0.0" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Raleigh Durham's climate pattern fits together
mixed demand · wet · mid swing
Water is prominent even though neither heating nor cooling wholly defines the record. Raleigh Durham averages 46.1 inches of precipitation a year. Annual snowfall totals 5.2 inches. 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 Raleigh Durham's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 38.6°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 Raleigh Durham's normal, at 3,153 and 1,805 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.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Raleigh Durham'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 Raleigh Durham, the bands are descriptive ranges rather than an official NOAA classification or a forecast.
Questions about Raleigh Durham's climate
How much rain does Raleigh Durham get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Raleigh Durham get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Raleigh Durham? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Raleigh Durham's primary station: RALEIGH DURHAM INTL AP (USW00013722). 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 Raleigh Durham; 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 Raleigh Durham 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.