Surf City, North Carolina climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Surf City's normal year runs from 34°F January nights to 88°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 16.7°C, January lows of 1°C, July highs of 31°C.
- NOAA stationSurf City
- Station IDUSC00318380
- Location34.45°N 77.57°W
- Elevation24 ft (7 m)
- Population4,961
On October 24, the normal high in Surf City is 72°F and the normal low 50°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Surf City.
- Jan 55° 34°
- Feb 57° 36°
- Mar 63° 40°
- Apr 72° 50°
- May 78° 59°
- Jun 84° 68°
- Jul 88° 72°
- Aug 87° 70°
- Sep 82° 65°
- Oct 74° 54°
- Nov 66° 43°
- Dec 59° 36°
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 Surf City each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 88°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 34°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 55°F | 34°F | 44.2°F | – | <1 | 17 | 10 h 10 min |
| February | 57°F | 36°F | 46.2°F | – | <1 | 14 | 11 h |
| March | 63°F | 40°F | 51.7°F | – | <1 | 9 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 72°F | 50°F | 60.9°F | – | <1 | 1 | 13 h |
| May | 78°F | 59°F | 68.7°F | – | <1 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 84°F | 68°F | 75.9°F | – | 5 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 88°F | 72°F | 79.5°F | – | 9 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 87°F | 70°F | 78.5°F | – | 6 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 82°F | 65°F | 73.7°F | – | 2 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 74°F | 54°F | 64.1°F | – | <1 | 1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 66°F | 43°F | 54.5°F | – | <1 | 6 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 59°F | 36°F | 47.3°F | – | <1 | 12 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 72°F | 52°F | 62.1°F | – | 23 | 61 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13°C | 1°C | 6.8°C |
| February | 14°C | 2°C | 7.9°C |
| March | 17°C | 5°C | 10.9°C |
| April | 22°C | 10°C | 16.1°C |
| May | 26°C | 15°C | 20.4°C |
| June | 29°C | 20°C | 24.4°C |
| July | 31°C | 22°C | 26.4°C |
| August | 30°C | 21°C | 25.8°C |
| September | 28°C | 18°C | 23.2°C |
| October | 24°C | 12°C | 17.8°C |
| November | 19°C | 6°C | 12.5°C |
| December | 15°C | 2°C | 8.5°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, New River McAf (21 miles away), gets 1 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00318380; 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 Surf City?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, September, October and November.
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 USC00318380.
When is the last frost in Surf City?
In Surf City, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 26 in half of years and after April 9 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 13 in half of years and before October 30 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 261 year in 10 after April 9; 9 in 10 after March 11
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 131 year in 10 before October 30; 9 in 10 before December 3
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 233 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 258 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 15 in half of springs and before November 26 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Surf City in zone 8b in ZIP code 28445, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in North Carolina · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00318380; 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 Surf City?
In a normal year in Surf City, 23 days a year reach 90°F and 61 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 23a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 61a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 1high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00318380.
How sunny is Surf City?
Over a year 79% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Surf City, 4.6 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (83%) and December the cloudiest (73%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 74% | 2.7 |
| February | 74% | 3.4 |
| March | 76% | 4.5 |
| April | 81% | 5.8 |
| May | 82% | 6.3 |
| June | 82% | 6.5 |
| July | 83% | 6.3 |
| August | 81% | 5.6 |
| September | 77% | 4.7 |
| October | 79% | 3.9 |
| November | 78% | 3.0 |
| December | 73% | 2.4 |
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 Surf City need?
A normal year in Surf City brings 2,771 heating degree days, 48% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,745 cooling degree days, 92% 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 5,168 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 644 | 1 |
| February | 528 | 1 |
| March | 416 | 5 |
| April | 160 | 39 |
| May | 32 | 147 |
| June | 1 | 327 |
| July | 0 | 449 |
| August | 0 | 418 |
| September | 4 | 264 |
| October | 109 | 81 |
| November | 326 | 11 |
| December | 550 | 2 |
| Year (annual) | 2,771 | 1,745 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00318380. 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 Surf City's climate compare?
Surf City is warmer than 105 of the other 130 places with their own NOAA record in North Carolina. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 62.1°F is warmer than 80%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Surf City share this climate record?
3 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.
- Holly Ridge, NC5,766 people · 3 mi N
- North Topsail Beach, NC1,081 people · 8 mi E
- Topsail Beach, NC500 people · 7 mi SW
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 Surf City's climate
What is the coldest month in Surf City?
January, with a normal high of 55°F and a normal low of 34°F. The warmest is July (88°F by day, 72°F at night).
Does it snow in Surf City?
Rarely. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Surf City's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, New River McAf (21 miles away), records 1 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Surf City in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Surf City in zone 8b in ZIP code 28445, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Surf City?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 26; in one year in ten it comes after April 9. Waiting until April 9 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
- New River McAf, NC21 miles from this station, 63.6°F a year
- Wilmington, NC22 miles from this station, 64.4°F a year
- Jacksonville, NC26 miles from this station, 62.5°F a year
- Myrtle Grove, NC27 miles from this station, 64.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made