30-year climate normals

Orange County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — July

88.0°

average daily high. The coldest month is January, averaging a low of 30.1°F.

Orange County gets 46.7" of precipitation a year, and 29% of it falls in Jul, Aug, Sep.

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	50.3°	30.1°	3.44"
February	54.1°	32.3°	3.27"
March	61.6°	38.7°	4.24"
April	70.9°	47.2°	3.95"
May	77.2°	55.5°	3.79"
June	84.3°	63.1°	4.22"
July	88.0°	67.4°	4.21"
August	86.2°	66.4°	3.79"
September	80.4°	60.3°	5.59"
October	71.3°	48.3°	3.34"
November	61.1°	38.4°	3.31"
December	52.9°	32.8°	3.55"

Rainfall by month

Precipitation is spread fairly evenly through the year here, with 29% falling in the wettest three months (Jul, Aug, Sep).

January 3.44"

February 3.27"

March 4.24"

April 3.95"

May 3.79"

June 4.22"

July 4.21"

August 3.79"

September 5.59"

October 3.34"

November 3.31"

December 3.55"

Annual total 46.7"

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 1,380

Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 3,496

Approximate annual cooling cost At 15.09¢/kWh, North Carolina average $208

Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $185

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 Orange County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Orange County?

Orange County averages a high of 88.0°F in July and a low of 30.1°F in January. Annual precipitation is 46.7 inches, with essentially no snow.

When is the rainy season in Orange County?

The wettest stretch is Jul, Aug, Sep, which accounts for 29% of the year's precipitation. Precipitation is relatively evenly distributed across the year.

How hot does it get in Orange County?

The average daily high in July, the hottest month, is 88.0°F. That drives 1,380 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Orange County?

Effectively no. Measurable snowfall is rare in Orange County.

Sources

Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station DURHAM 11 W, NC US (USW00003758), 6.5 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.