Raleigh climate
Raleigh is warmest in July, with average highs of 31 °C, and coldest in January, when nights average 1.5 °C. September is the wettest month (122 mm) and February the driest (78 mm). Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.
Across a full year Raleigh averages 1,163 mm of rain, 144 days above 25 °C and 38 days below freezing.
United States · 96 m elevation · population 482,295 · 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 31 °C
- Coldest month January 1.5 °C
- Driest month February 78 mm
- Wettest month September 122 mm
- Least cloud October 46 % cloud
- Hottest on record July 41 °C
- Coldest on record January -16 °C
What to expectRaleigh through the year
Raleigh has a clear annual cycle: average daily highs run from 10 °C in January to 31 °C in July, a swing of 21 °C in mean temperature across the year.
Counted across a normal year, 144 days a year reach 25 °C, 63 of them reach 30 °C, 38 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 122 mm in September. There is no dry season to aim for.
Month by month
| Month | Avg high | Rainfall | Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10.2 °C | 92 mm | 54 % |
| February | 12.3 °C | 78 mm | 57 % |
| March | 16.4 °C | 104 mm | 54 % |
| April | 21.8 °C | 90 mm | 52 % |
| May | 25.9 °C | 89 mm | 56 % |
| June | 29.7 °C | 106 mm | 58 % |
| July | 31.5 °C | 113 mm | 58 % |
| August | 30.2 °C | 110 mm | 56 % |
| September | 27.1 °C | 122 mm | 54 % |
| October | 21.7 °C | 81 mm | 46 % |
| November | 16.1 °C | 87 mm | 48 % |
| December | 11.8 °C | 90 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 | 1.5 °C | 5.2 °C | 23.6 °C | -15.9 °C | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| February | 12.3 °C | 2.5 °C | 6.8 °C | 26.6 °C | -13.6 °C | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| March | 16.4 °C | 5.8 °C | 10.5 °C | 29.0 °C | -10.1 °C | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| April | 21.8 °C | 10.8 °C | 15.8 °C | 32.0 °C | -1.7 °C | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| May | 25.9 °C | 15.5 °C | 20.4 °C | 36.4 °C | 4.6 °C | 19 | 5 | 0 |
| June | 29.7 °C | 20.0 °C | 24.5 °C | 40.8 °C | 10.1 °C | 27 | 14 | 0 |
| July | 31.5 °C | 22.3 °C | 26.4 °C | 40.9 °C | 15.9 °C | 30 | 21 | 0 |
| August | 30.2 °C | 21.4 °C | 25.4 °C | 39.4 °C | 14.3 °C | 30 | 16 | 0 |
| September | 27.1 °C | 18.5 °C | 22.4 °C | 36.6 °C | 8.4 °C | 22 | 6 | 0 |
| October | 21.7 °C | 12.5 °C | 16.6 °C | 35.8 °C | 1.3 °C | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| November | 16.1 °C | 6.9 °C | 10.9 °C | 27.0 °C | -5.2 °C | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| December | 11.8 °C | 3.3 °C | 6.9 °C | 24.5 °C | -8.2 °C | 0 | 0 | 9 |
Rain, sun and wind month by month
| Month | Rainfall | Wet days | Daylight | Cloud cover | Humidity | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 92 mm | 9 | 10 h/day | 54 % | 69 % | 16 km/h |
| February | 78 mm | 9 | 11 h/day | 57 % | 68 % | 17 km/h |
| March | 104 mm | 10 | 12 h/day | 54 % | 66 % | 18 km/h |
| April | 90 mm | 9 | 13 h/day | 52 % | 64 % | 18 km/h |
| May | 89 mm | 11 | 14 h/day | 56 % | 68 % | 15 km/h |
| June | 106 mm | 13 | 15 h/day | 58 % | 71 % | 13 km/h |
| July | 113 mm | 16 | 14 h/day | 58 % | 73 % | 12 km/h |
| August | 110 mm | 13 | 14 h/day | 56 % | 75 % | 12 km/h |
| September | 122 mm | 10 | 12 h/day | 54 % | 74 % | 13 km/h |
| October | 81 mm | 7 | 11 h/day | 46 % | 72 % | 14 km/h |
| November | 87 mm | 8 | 10 h/day | 48 % | 70 % | 15 km/h |
| December | 90 mm | 9 | 9.8 h/day | 55 % | 72 % | 16 km/h |
How Raleigh 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh | 31 °C | 1.5 °C | 1,163 mm | 144 |
| Cary · United States | 31 °C | 1.3 °C | 1,166 mm | 140 |
| Durham · United States | 32 °C | 0.6 °C | 1,130 mm | 143 |
| Fayetteville · United States | 32 °C | 2.5 °C | 1,177 mm | 157 |
| Greensboro · United States | 31 °C | -0.08 °C | 1,112 mm | 134 |
Where Raleigh ranks
| Ranking | Position | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Places with the best weather in North America in April | 38thof 50 | 90/100 |
| Places with the best weather in North America in October | 38thof 50 | 93/100 |
Planning a trip? See the best time to visit Raleigh.
QuestionsCommon questions about Raleigh’s climate
When is the best time to visit Raleigh?
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 Raleigh get?
In July, the warmest month, daily highs average 31 °C. About 63 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 1.5 °C in January, the coldest month. A normal year has 38 nights below freezing.
Which month is wettest in Raleigh?
September, averaging 122 mm over 10 days with rain. The driest month is February with 78 mm. The year as a whole averages 1,163 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 Raleigh 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.