Durham-Chapel Hill Metro Area, NC Climate

The Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Metro Area has a humid subtropical climate, featuring hot and humid summers as well as mild winters. The area experiences an average of 40 inches of rain per year, mostly spread out evenly throughout the year. Summer months can be especially humid and temperatures often reach into the 90s with nighttime lows rarely dropping below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Winters are generally mild with temperatures ranging from the upper 30s to mid 50s. Snow is relatively rare and usually melts quickly after it does fall. Spring and autumn offer pleasant weather with moderate temperatures, sunshine, and occasional rainfall.

Durham-Chapel Hill Metro Area, North Carolina gets 46 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38 inches of rain per year.

Durham-Chapel Hill Metro Area averages 4 inches of snow per year. The US average is 28 inches of snow per year.

On average, there are 220 sunny days per year in Durham-Chapel Hill Metro Area. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Durham-Chapel Hill Metro Area gets some kind of precipitation, on average, 109 days per year. Precipitation is rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground. In order for precipitation to be counted you have to get at least .01 inches on the ground to measure.

Weather Highlights

Summer High: the July high is around 89 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 29
Rain: averages 46 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 4 inches of snow a year

Bestplaces Comfort Index

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area is 7.5 (10=best), which means it is more comfortable than most places in North Carolina.

7.1 Summer - 6.6 Winter

September, May and October are the most pleasant months in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area, while January and July are the least comfortable months.

Climate	Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina	United States
	46.1 in.	38.1 in.
	3.9 in.	27.8 in.
	108.7 days	106.2 days
	220 days	205 days
	88.8°	85.8°
	28.6°	21.7°
	7.5	7
	4.6	4.3
	492 ft.	2443 ft.

Climate

YOU SHOULD KNOW

Many people confuse weather and climate but they are different. Weather is the conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere is over long periods of time.

Weather is how the atmosphere is behaving and its effects upon life and human activities. Weather can change from minute-to-minute. Most people think of weather in terms of temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloudiness, brightness, visibility, wind, and atmospheric pressure.

Climate is the description of the long-term pattern of weather in a place. Climate can mean the average weather for a particular region and time period taken over 30 years. Climate is the average of weather over time.

July is the hottest month for the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area with an average high temperature of 88.8°, which ranks it as cooler than most places in North Carolina. In the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area, there are 4 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area are May, September and October.

In the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area, there are 36.2 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is about average compared to other places in North Carolina.

January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area with an average of 28.6°. This is colder than most places in North Carolina.

In the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area, there are 75.3 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is colder than most places in North Carolina.

In the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area, there are 0.0 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is about average compared to other places in North Carolina.

Humidity in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area can be uncomfortable during the summer, but comfortable for most of the year. The most uncomfortably humid months are July, August and June. The humid season runs from June-September and the most comfortable months are October-May.

July is the wettest month in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area with 4.6 inches of rain, and the driest month is February with 3.3 inches. The wettest season is Autumn with 28% of yearly precipitation and 23% occurs in Spring, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 46.1 inches in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area means that it is drier than most places in North Carolina.

July is the rainiest month in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area with 10.5 days of rain, and October is the driest month with only 7.3 rainy days. There are 108.7 rainy days annually in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area, which is about average compared to other places in North Carolina. The rainiest season is Autumn when it rains 27% of the time and the driest is Winter with only a 21% chance of a rainy day.

An annual snowfall of 3.9 inches in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area means that it is snowier than most places in North Carolina. January is the snowiest month in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area with 2.1 inches of snow, and 2 months of the year have significant snowfall.

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