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Charlotte weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Spread across the rolling Carolina Piedmont, Charlotte has a humid subtropical climate with hot summers, short mild winters and a particular talent for the ice storm, a form of winter weather far more disruptive here than the snow that visitors might expect. Charlotte weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, extremes and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

−4.3°Fhigh below average

66° / 40°Today
70° / 49°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+2.8°Faverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–4937frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 47 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 47 in the 1940s81days above 86°F a year now (2016–2025) · 44 in the 1940sdays above 86°F · 44 in the 1940s+2.8°F vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 3.7 incheshigh 51°low 33°February, rain 3.6 incheshigh 54°low 35°March, rain 4.2 incheshigh 62°low 42°April, rain 3.3 incheshigh 72°low 51°May, rain 3.3 incheshigh 79°low 59°June, rain 3.5 incheshigh 86°low 67°July, rain 4.4 incheshigh 88°low 71°August, rain 4.3 incheshigh 86°low 69°September, rain 3.8 incheshigh 81°low 63°October, rain 3.0 incheshigh 72°low 52°November, rain 3.1 incheshigh 62°low 42°December, rain 3.5 incheshigh 53°low 35°wettest month July, 4.4 inches · 43.8 inches a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Clear

Right now

41.4°

35°feels like
68%humidity
32°dew point
7 mphfrom N
UV index0.0
sunrise07:33sunset18:43day length11h 10m
TodayClear66°40°
TueClear73°41°
WedClear72°51°
ThuClear74°51°
FriClear71°51°
SatClear65°50°
SunClear67°47°

On this date: October 19

Today (forecast)
66° / 40°
Average for October 19
70° / 49°

High below average · −4.3°F

  • Highest since 1940: 85.9° · 2016
  • Lowest since 1940: 32.0° · 1948
  • One year ago: 73° / 58°

Every October 19 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 19 on record (n = 87). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Charlotte is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 35.23°N, 80.84°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
35.23°N, 80.84°W
Time zone
America/New York
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

20 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +2.6°F.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

Charlotte spreads across the Piedmont region of the Carolinas, on gently rolling terrain between the Appalachians to the west and the coastal plain to the east, with a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The Appalachians provide some barrier to cold Arctic air, but the city has no significant natural shelter from weather arriving from any direction. Summers are hot and humid, winters are short and fairly mild, and rainfall is spread through the year without a pronounced dry season.

Charlotte's characteristic winter hazard is not heavy snow but ice: freezing rain storms that can glaze the Piedmont in a treacherous layer. A major ice storm in December 2002 left well over a million people without power, some of them for more than a week. The city is also exposed to the remnants of Atlantic hurricanes: when Hurricane Hugo made landfall on the South Carolina coast on 22 September 1989, it reached Charlotte still carrying sustained winds of about 110 km/h, causing widespread tree damage and power outages.

The warmest month is July, with typical afternoon highs of 88.2°F and nights around 70.6°F. Around 90 nights a year stay above 68°F. At the other extreme, January brings afternoon highs of about 50.5°F and typical overnight lows of 33.2°F. Around 35 days a year dip below freezing.

In total, Charlotte averages about 43.8 inches of precipitation a year; July is usually the wettest month (4.4 inches) and October the driest (3.0 inches).

Comparing the record's first decade with its most recent one, Charlotte now averages 2.8°F warmer than it did in the 1940s. Days above 86°F have grown noticeably more frequent, from around 45 a year in the first decade to about 80 in the last.

Sources:en.wikipedia.orgbritannica.comweather.gov

Climate graph (climograph)

July is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 38°F. Wettest month: July (~4.4 in). Whole year averages ~43.8 inches of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 102 rainy days a year: most in July (~13), fewest in October (~6).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 0.08 in per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Charlotte month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Highest and Lowest are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightHighestLowest
January50.5°33.2°3.7 in89.9 h76.2° (2002)−3.7° (1985)
February54.5°35.5°3.6 in810.7 h79.6° (2011)3.4° (1940)
March62.3°41.9°4.2 in911.7 h89.1° (1986)5.8° (1980)
April71.9°50.9°3.3 in812.9 h93.8° (1981)26.4° (1987)
May79.4°59.4°3.3 in913.9 h98.0° (1953)34.8° (1989)
June85.8°67.0°3.5 in1014.4 h105.0° (2012)46.3° (1972)
July88.2°70.6°4.4 in1314.2 h105.6° (1977)53.4° (1988)
August86.4°69.4°4.3 in1113.3 h104.8° (2007)50.1° (1965)
September81.0°63.3°3.8 in812.2 h98.1° (1990)39.9° (1967)
October71.5°51.8°3.0 in611.1 h94.7° (1954)23.9° (1962)
November61.5°42.1°3.1 in610.1 h84.2° (1974)11.5° (1970)
December52.9°35.5°3.5 in79.6 h78.8° (2007)3.4° (1983)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +2.8°F.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.31°F per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Mar–May is warming fastest: +0.39°F per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 86°F per year: 44.1 early in the record → 81.0 recently. Frost days: 47 → 37.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

Hottest day since 1940 in 1977, coldest in 1985: 105.6°F / −3.7°F.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~43.8 in/year on average. Last decade: +6% vs that average. Long-term trend: +0.25 in per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Charlotte

Which is the warmest month in Charlotte?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Charlotte is July (mean daily temperature of about 78.4°F) and the coolest is January (about 40.7°F).
How does today's temperature in Charlotte compare to the historical average?
On October 19, 2026, Charlotte is forecast to reach a high of 65.7°F and a low of 39.9°F. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 70.0°F and a low of 49.5°F, so today's high is 4.3°F cooler than that average.
How much has Charlotte warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Charlotte is about 2.8°F warmer.
How much does it rain in Charlotte?
Charlotte receives about 43.8 inches of precipitation per year on long-term average, with July typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Charlotte?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Charlotte is about 60.2°F. The warmest month is July and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Charlotte by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Charlotte (°F, full record since 1940): January 51°/33°, February 54°/35°, March 62°/42°, April 72°/51°, May 79°/59°, June 86°/67°, July 88°/71°, August 86°/69°, September 81°/63°, October 72°/52°, November 62°/42°, December 53°/35°.
What is the weather like in Charlotte in summer?
In summer, June through August, Charlotte is wet and hot. Afternoons run 86–88°F and nights 67–71°F; July is the warmest month. Rain is steady at around 4.1 inches a month, spread over roughly 11 days.
What is the weather like in Charlotte in winter?
Winter in Charlotte (December to February) is cool. Expect 51–54°F by day and 33–35°F at night, with January the coldest month. Rain falls on about 8 days a month, adding up to around 3.6 inches.
What is the weather like in Charlotte in spring?
Spring in Charlotte (March to May) is mild. March starts at 62°F by day and 42°F at night; by May it is 79°F and 59°F. Rain is steady at around 3.6 inches a month, spread over roughly 8 days.
What is the weather like in Charlotte in autumn?
In autumn, September through November, Charlotte is mild. September is still 81°F by day and 63°F at night; by November it is down to 62°F and 42°F. Rain falls on about 7 days a month, adding up to around 3.3 inches.
How many days a year does it rain in Charlotte?
On long-term average, Charlotte has about 102 days a year with at least 0.08 inches of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 43.8 inches.

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