Durham climate
Durham is warmest in July, with average highs of 32 °C, and coldest in January, when nights average 0.6 °C. September is the wettest month (116 mm) and February the driest (78 mm). Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.
Across a full year Durham averages 1,130 mm of rain, 143 days above 25 °C and 47 days below freezing.
United States · 123 m elevation · population 257,636 · 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 0.6 °C
- Driest month February 78 mm
- Wettest month September 116 mm
- Least cloud October 46 % cloud
- Hottest on record July 41 °C
- Coldest on record February -18 °C
What to expectDurham through the year
Durham has a clear annual cycle: average daily highs run from 9.8 °C in January to 32 °C in July, a swing of 22 °C in mean temperature across the year.
Counted across a normal year, 143 days a year reach 25 °C, 64 of them reach 30 °C, 47 nights drop below freezing. The warmest reading in the 1991–2020 record is 41 °C, in July.
Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year, from 78 mm in February to 116 mm in September. There is no dry season to aim for.
Month by month
| Month | Avg high | Rainfall | Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9.8 °C | 92 mm | 54 % |
| February | 12.0 °C | 78 mm | 57 % |
| March | 16.2 °C | 106 mm | 55 % |
| April | 21.5 °C | 89 mm | 52 % |
| May | 25.7 °C | 91 mm | 57 % |
| June | 29.7 °C | 97 mm | 57 % |
| July | 31.5 °C | 107 mm | 57 % |
| August | 30.3 °C | 98 mm | 56 % |
| September | 27.0 °C | 116 mm | 53 % |
| October | 21.6 °C | 79 mm | 46 % |
| November | 15.8 °C | 87 mm | 48 % |
| December | 11.3 °C | 89 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 | 9.8 °C | 0.6 °C | 4.5 °C | 23.9 °C | -16.4 °C | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| February | 12.0 °C | 1.6 °C | 6.1 °C | 25.7 °C | -18.0 °C | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| March | 16.2 °C | 5.0 °C | 10.0 °C | 29.5 °C | -12.2 °C | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| April | 21.5 °C | 10.0 °C | 15.3 °C | 32.2 °C | -2.4 °C | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 25.7 °C | 14.9 °C | 19.9 °C | 36.7 °C | 3.6 °C | 18 | 4 | 0 |
| June | 29.7 °C | 19.5 °C | 24.2 °C | 41.2 °C | 9.0 °C | 27 | 14 | 0 |
| July | 31.5 °C | 21.9 °C | 26.3 °C | 41.4 °C | 15.5 °C | 30 | 22 | 0 |
| August | 30.3 °C | 21.0 °C | 25.2 °C | 39.5 °C | 13.3 °C | 30 | 16 | 0 |
| September | 27.0 °C | 18.0 °C | 22.1 °C | 36.3 °C | 7.3 °C | 21 | 7 | 0 |
| October | 21.6 °C | 11.8 °C | 16.2 °C | 36.3 °C | 1.0 °C | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| November | 15.8 °C | 6.0 °C | 10.3 °C | 27.1 °C | -5.2 °C | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| December | 11.3 °C | 2.5 °C | 6.2 °C | 24.3 °C | -8.9 °C | 0 | 0 | 11 |
Rain, sun and wind month by month
| Month | Rainfall | Wet days | Daylight | Cloud cover | Humidity | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 92 mm | 9 | 10.0 h/day | 54 % | 70 % | 16 km/h |
| February | 78 mm | 8 | 11 h/day | 57 % | 69 % | 17 km/h |
| March | 106 mm | 10 | 12 h/day | 55 % | 67 % | 17 km/h |
| April | 89 mm | 9 | 13 h/day | 52 % | 66 % | 18 km/h |
| May | 91 mm | 11 | 14 h/day | 57 % | 70 % | 15 km/h |
| June | 97 mm | 12 | 15 h/day | 57 % | 72 % | 13 km/h |
| July | 107 mm | 15 | 14 h/day | 57 % | 73 % | 12 km/h |
| August | 98 mm | 12 | 14 h/day | 56 % | 75 % | 12 km/h |
| September | 116 mm | 10 | 12 h/day | 53 % | 75 % | 13 km/h |
| October | 79 mm | 7 | 11 h/day | 46 % | 73 % | 14 km/h |
| November | 87 mm | 8 | 10 h/day | 48 % | 72 % | 15 km/h |
| December | 89 mm | 9 | 9.7 h/day | 55 % | 73 % | 15 km/h |
How Durham 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durham | 32 °C | 0.6 °C | 1,130 mm | 143 |
| Cary · United States | 31 °C | 1.3 °C | 1,166 mm | 140 |
| Raleigh · United States | 31 °C | 1.5 °C | 1,163 mm | 144 |
| Greensboro · United States | 31 °C | -0.08 °C | 1,112 mm | 134 |
| Fayetteville · United States | 32 °C | 2.5 °C | 1,177 mm | 157 |
Planning a trip? See the best time to visit Durham.
QuestionsCommon questions about Durham’s climate
When is the best time to visit Durham?
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 February the driest. The month-by-month table above has the full picture.
How hot does Durham get?
In July, the warmest month, daily highs average 32 °C. About 64 days a year pass 30 °C. The highest value in the 1991–2020 record is 41 °C.
How cold does it get in winter?
Nights average 0.6 °C in January, the coldest month. A normal year has 47 nights below freezing.
Which month is wettest in Durham?
September, averaging 116 mm over 10 days with rain. The driest month is February with 78 mm. The year as a whole averages 1,130 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 Durham 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.