30-year climate normals

Durham County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — July

87.0°

average daily high. The coldest month is January, averaging a low of 27.9°F.

Durham County gets 48.57" of precipitation a year, and 30% of it falls in Jun, Jul, Aug.

Temperature through the year

Each bar spans the average daily low to the average daily high for that month.

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Precip
January	48.9°	27.9°	3.98"
February	52.5°	30.3°	2.91"
March	60.7°	37.2°	4.51"
April	70.3°	46.0°	3.66"
May	76.6°	55.4°	3.80"
June	83.3°	64.2°	5.24"
July	87.0°	68.8°	4.20"
August	84.6°	67.2°	5.23"
September	79.3°	60.9°	4.70"
October	69.5°	48.0°	3.35"
November	60.0°	37.1°	3.65"
December	52.1°	32.2°	3.34"

Rainfall by month

Precipitation is spread fairly evenly through the year here, with 30% falling in the wettest three months (Jun, Jul, Aug).

January 3.98"

February 2.91"

March 4.51"

April 3.66"

May 3.80"

June 5.24"

July 4.20"

August 5.23"

September 4.70"

October 3.35"

November 3.65"

December 3.34"

Annual total 48.57"

What this climate costs you

Degree days measure how hard a building has to work to stay comfortable. They are the reason two identical houses have very different power bills, and they are the link between the weather here and what you pay every month.

Cooling degree days How much air conditioning the climate demands 1,350

Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 3,750

Approximate annual cooling cost At 15.09¢/kWh, North Carolina average $204

Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $198

These are rough planning figures from degree days and the state electricity price, not a bill estimate. House size, insulation and fuel type move them a lot. See the full cost of owning a home in Durham County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Durham County?

Durham County averages a high of 87.0°F in July and a low of 27.9°F in January. Annual precipitation is 48.57 inches, with essentially no snow.

When is the rainy season in Durham County?

The wettest stretch is Jun, Jul, Aug, which accounts for 30% of the year's precipitation. Precipitation is relatively evenly distributed across the year.

How hot does it get in Durham County?

The average daily high in July, the hottest month, is 87.0°F. That drives 1,350 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Durham County?

Effectively no. Measurable snowfall is rare in Durham County.

Sources

Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station DURHAM, NC US (USC00312515), 4.8 miles from the county centroid.
Heating and cooling degree days — NOAA, same station and period.
Electricity price — US Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, North Carolina residential average.
Wet-season share is the wettest three consecutive months as a percentage of annual precipitation, calculated from the monthly normals.