Charlotte climate
Charlotte is warmest in July, with average highs of 32 °C, and coldest in January, when nights average 1.0 °C. March is the wettest month (106 mm) and May the driest (77 mm). Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.
Across a full year Charlotte averages 1,087 mm of rain, 146 days above 25 °C and 44 days below freezing.
United States · 229 m elevation · population 911,311 · 1991–2020 normals
Temperature below 0 °C to above 30 °C Rain band height is that month’s share of the wettest month
- Warmest month July 32 °C
- Coldest month January 1.0 °C
- Driest month May 77 mm
- Wettest month March 106 mm
- Least cloud October 45 % cloud
- Hottest on record July 42 °C
- Coldest on record January -15 °C
What to expectCharlotte through the year
Charlotte has a clear annual cycle: average daily highs run from 10 °C in January to 32 °C in July, a swing of 21 °C in mean temperature across the year.
Counted across a normal year, 146 days a year reach 25 °C, 68 of them reach 30 °C, 44 nights drop below freezing. The warmest reading in the 1991–2020 record is 42 °C, in July.
Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year, from 77 mm in May to 106 mm in March. There is no dry season to aim for.
Month by month
| Month | Avg high | Rainfall | Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10.2 °C | 92 mm | 54 % |
| February | 12.5 °C | 80 mm | 57 % |
| March | 16.6 °C | 106 mm | 54 % |
| April | 21.8 °C | 89 mm | 52 % |
| May | 26.3 °C | 77 mm | 55 % |
| June | 30.0 °C | 94 mm | 58 % |
| July | 31.7 °C | 96 mm | 58 % |
| August | 30.4 °C | 97 mm | 56 % |
| September | 27.3 °C | 99 mm | 52 % |
| October | 21.8 °C | 83 mm | 45 % |
| November | 16.0 °C | 82 mm | 48 % |
| December | 11.6 °C | 94 mm | 55 % |
Temperature month by month
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Mean | Record high | Record low | Days above 25 °C | Days above 30 °C | Days below 0 °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10.2 °C | 1.0 °C | 5.0 °C | 23.0 °C | -14.8 °C | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| February | 12.5 °C | 2.2 °C | 6.7 °C | 25.7 °C | -11.3 °C | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| March | 16.6 °C | 5.5 °C | 10.5 °C | 28.8 °C | -11.1 °C | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| April | 21.8 °C | 10.1 °C | 15.6 °C | 32.6 °C | -2.0 °C | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 26.3 °C | 15.1 °C | 20.4 °C | 35.8 °C | 4.1 °C | 20 | 5 | 0 |
| June | 30.0 °C | 19.5 °C | 24.4 °C | 41.0 °C | 10.1 °C | 27 | 16 | 0 |
| July | 31.7 °C | 21.8 °C | 26.3 °C | 41.8 °C | 14.7 °C | 31 | 22 | 0 |
| August | 30.4 °C | 21.0 °C | 25.3 °C | 40.3 °C | 13.6 °C | 30 | 17 | 0 |
| September | 27.3 °C | 17.9 °C | 22.2 °C | 35.7 °C | 6.9 °C | 22 | 7 | 0 |
| October | 21.8 °C | 11.8 °C | 16.4 °C | 34.7 °C | 0.7 °C | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| November | 16.0 °C | 6.1 °C | 10.5 °C | 26.8 °C | -5.5 °C | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| December | 11.6 °C | 2.7 °C | 6.5 °C | 24.8 °C | -8.0 °C | 0 | 0 | 11 |
Rain, sun and wind month by month
| Month | Rainfall | Wet days | Daylight | Cloud cover | Humidity | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 92 mm | 9 | 10 h/day | 54 % | 71 % | 16 km/h |
| February | 80 mm | 9 | 11 h/day | 57 % | 69 % | 17 km/h |
| March | 106 mm | 10 | 12 h/day | 54 % | 67 % | 17 km/h |
| April | 89 mm | 9 | 13 h/day | 52 % | 65 % | 18 km/h |
| May | 77 mm | 10 | 14 h/day | 55 % | 66 % | 15 km/h |
| June | 94 mm | 13 | 15 h/day | 58 % | 69 % | 13 km/h |
| July | 96 mm | 14 | 14 h/day | 58 % | 70 % | 12 km/h |
| August | 97 mm | 13 | 13 h/day | 56 % | 72 % | 11 km/h |
| September | 99 mm | 10 | 12 h/day | 52 % | 72 % | 13 km/h |
| October | 83 mm | 7 | 11 h/day | 45 % | 71 % | 14 km/h |
| November | 82 mm | 7 | 10 h/day | 48 % | 70 % | 15 km/h |
| December | 94 mm | 9 | 9.8 h/day | 55 % | 74 % | 15 km/h |
How Charlotte compares
The same four figures for nearby destinations, so the numbers above have something to be read against. Summer high is the warmest month's average high; winter low is the coldest month's average low.
| Destination | Summer high | Winter low | Rain per year | Days above 25 °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 32 °C | 1.0 °C | 1,087 mm | 146 |
| Greensboro · United States | 31 °C | -0.08 °C | 1,112 mm | 134 |
| Fayetteville · United States | 32 °C | 2.5 °C | 1,177 mm | 157 |
| Durham · United States | 32 °C | 0.6 °C | 1,130 mm | 143 |
| Cary · United States | 31 °C | 1.3 °C | 1,166 mm | 140 |
Where Charlotte ranks
| Ranking | Position | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Places with the best weather in North America in October | 34thof 50 | 93/100 |
| Places with the best weather in North America in April | 41stof 50 | 89/100 |
Planning a trip? See the best time to visit Charlotte.
QuestionsCommon questions about Charlotte’s climate
When is the best time to visit Charlotte?
That depends on what you want, so the honest answer is a comparison rather than a single month. May, September, October sit closest to 20 °C on average, July is the warmest month and May the driest. The month-by-month table above has the full picture.
How hot does Charlotte get?
In July, the warmest month, daily highs average 32 °C. About 68 days a year pass 30 °C. The highest value in the 1991–2020 record is 42 °C.
How cold does it get in winter?
Nights average 1.0 °C in January, the coldest month. A normal year has 44 nights below freezing.
Which month is wettest in Charlotte?
March, averaging 106 mm over 10 days with rain. The driest month is May with 77 mm. The year as a whole averages 1,087 mm.
Are these figures a forecast?
No. They are 1991–2020 climate normals: the average of thirty years, which describes what a month is usually like in Charlotte rather than what any particular week will bring. Individual years can differ substantially from the normal.
Data sources and method
- ERA5 / ERA5-Land reanalysis — Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), ECMWF. Copernicus Licence
- Open-Meteo — Open-Meteo.com. CC BY 4.0
- NOAA OISST v2.1 — NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory. Public domain
- GeoNames — GeoNames.org. CC BY 4.0
- Normal period
- 1991–2020
- Dataset version
- era5-1991-2020-scores1.1
- Last processed
Measured values come from ERA5 reanalysis and are reproduced unchanged. Calculated by us: monthly rankings, daylight hours, beach and comfort scores. Full formulas are on the methodology page.
Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.