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Raleigh weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

North Carolina's capital sits on the Piedmont fall line, warm and humid through much of the year but with a weakness for winter ice storms and the tail ends of Atlantic hurricanes in autumn. Raleigh weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, extremes and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

−7.5°Fhigh well below average

63° / 41°Today
71° / 51°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+2.2°Faverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–4937frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 41 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 41 in the 1940s82days above 86°F a year now (2016–2025) · 49 in the 1940sdays above 86°F · 49 in the 1940s+2.2°F vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 3.6 incheshigh 51°low 34°February, rain 3.5 incheshigh 54°low 36°March, rain 4.1 incheshigh 62°low 42°April, rain 3.4 incheshigh 72°low 51°May, rain 3.6 incheshigh 79°low 60°June, rain 3.8 incheshigh 86°low 68°July, rain 5.1 incheshigh 88°low 71°August, rain 4.7 incheshigh 86°low 70°September, rain 4.1 incheshigh 81°low 64°October, rain 3.0 incheshigh 72°low 53°November, rain 3.2 incheshigh 62°low 43°December, rain 3.4 incheshigh 54°low 36°wettest month July, 5.1 inches · 45.5 inches a yearsee month by month →

Right now

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

Right now

43.7°

38°feels like
73%humidity
36°dew point
6 mphfrom N
UV index0.0
sunrise07:24sunset18:34day length11h 09m
TodayClear63°41°
TueClear72°46°
WedClear70°52°
ThuClear71°50°
FriClear70°52°
SatClear67°51°
SunClear69°51°

On this date: October 19

Today (forecast)
63° / 41°
Average for October 19
71° / 51°

High well below average · −7.5°F

  • Highest since 1940: 87.1° · 2016
  • Lowest since 1940: 34.8° · 1948
  • One year ago: 79° / 56°

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 Raleigh is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 35.77°N, 78.64°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
35.77°N, 78.64°W
Time zone
America/New York
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

21 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +3.1°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

Raleigh lies where the rolling Piedmont gives way to the flatter coastal plain in central North Carolina, along the geological fall line. Its climate is humid subtropical (Köppen Cfa), with hot, humid summers and cool winters. The winters are usually manageable, but every so often a storm tracks just right and glazes the region in freezing rain and sleet, some of the most disruptive weather the city sees.

From late summer into autumn the bigger threat arrives from the tropics. Hurricane Fran brought down trees across the city in 1996, and Hurricane Floyd dumped record rainfall as it passed in 1999. Tornadoes are infrequent here, but they can be violent when they do strike, as an EF3 was when it tore through downtown and the northeast side in April 2011.

July brings the year's peak warmth, with afternoons typically reaching 88.2°F and nights around 71.5°F. On about 95 nights a year, the temperature never drops below 68°F. The coolest month is January, when afternoons reach about 50.9°F and overnight lows sit around 33.8°F. Around 35 days a year dip below freezing.

In total, Raleigh averages about 45.5 inches of precipitation a year; July is usually the wettest month (5.1 inches) and October the driest (3.0 inches).

Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Raleigh has risen by 2.2°F between its first decade and its last. The count of days past 86°F has risen from roughly 50 a year to 80 between the record's first and last decades.

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 (~5.1 in). Whole year averages ~45.5 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 104 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.

Raleigh 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
January50.9°33.8°3.6 in89.8 h77.2° (2022)−3.7° (1985)
February54.5°35.7°3.5 in810.7 h81.8° (1989)−1.2° (1996)
March62.3°42.3°4.1 in911.7 h88.8° (1968)15.0° (1980)
April72.1°51.5°3.4 in812.9 h96.8° (1981)26.5° (2007)
May79.2°59.9°3.6 in913.9 h98.5° (2011)36.1° (1956)
June85.7°67.5°3.8 in1014.4 h106.8° (2012)45.3° (1972)
July88.2°71.5°5.1 in1314.2 h106.7° (1977)55.8° (1988)
August86.3°70.2°4.7 in1113.4 h105.0° (1988)53.2° (1965)
September81.0°64.3°4.1 in812.2 h100.1° (1954)41.7° (1950)
October71.8°52.9°3.0 in611.1 h97.7° (2019)24.2° (1962)
November62.4°43.3°3.2 in610.1 h84.6° (1950)15.1° (1970)
December53.5°36.3°3.4 in89.6 h80.0° (2007)3.2° (1958)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +2.2°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: +0.27°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: +0.32°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: 48.6 early in the record → 81.9 recently. Frost days: 41 → 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 2012, coldest in 1985: 106.8°F / −3.7°F.

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

Annual rainfall

~45.5 in/year on average. Last decade: +9% vs that average. Long-term trend: +0.46 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 Raleigh

Which is the warmest month in Raleigh?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Raleigh is July (mean daily temperature of about 78.9°F) and the coolest is January (about 41.2°F).
How does today's temperature in Raleigh compare to the historical average?
On October 19, 2026, Raleigh is forecast to reach a high of 63.1°F and a low of 41.0°F. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 70.6°F and a low of 51.0°F, so today's high is 7.5°F cooler than that average.
How much has Raleigh warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Raleigh is about 2.2°F warmer.
How much does it rain in Raleigh?
Raleigh receives about 45.5 inches of precipitation per year on long-term average, with July typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Raleigh?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Raleigh is about 60.6°F. The warmest month is July and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Raleigh by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Raleigh (°F, full record since 1940): January 51°/34°, February 54°/36°, March 62°/42°, April 72°/51°, May 79°/60°, June 86°/68°, July 88°/71°, August 86°/70°, September 81°/64°, October 72°/53°, November 62°/43°, December 54°/36°.
What is the weather like in Raleigh in summer?
In summer, June through August, Raleigh is wet and hot. Daytime highs sit at 86–88°F and nights at 68–71°F; July is the warmest month. Rain falls on about 12 days a month, adding up to around 4.5 inches. No season is wetter.
What is the weather like in Raleigh in winter?
Winter in Raleigh (December to February) is cool. Afternoons run 51–54°F and nights 34–36°F; January is the coldest month. Rain is steady at around 3.5 inches a month, spread over roughly 8 days.
What is the weather like in Raleigh in spring?
Spring in Raleigh (March to May) is mild. March is still 62°F in the afternoon and 42°F at night, May already 79°F and 60°F. Rain falls on about 8 days a month, adding up to around 3.7 inches.
What is the weather like in Raleigh in autumn?
September to November is autumn in Raleigh, and it is pleasantly warm. September still brings 81°F afternoons and 64°F nights, November only 62°F and 43°F. Rain is steady at around 3.4 inches a month, spread over roughly 7 days.
How many days a year does it rain in Raleigh?
On long-term average, Raleigh has about 104 days a year with at least 0.08 inches of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 45.5 inches.

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