Cost to Own
United StatesNorth CarolinaWake CountyClimate Station RALEIGH STATE UNIV, NC US Distance 2.7 mi Normals 1991–2020

30-year climate normals

Wake County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — July

90.6°

average daily high. The coldest month is January, averaging a low of 31.6°F.

Wake County gets 49.36" of precipitation a year and 4.5" of snow, and 31% 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.

40° 60° 80° JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
MonthAvg highAvg low PrecipSnow
January 51.7° 31.6° 3.65" 2.5"
February 55.2° 33.2° 2.88" 0.8"
March 62.6° 40.1° 4.17" 0.1"
April 72.3° 48.8° 3.63" 0.0"
May 80.2° 57.9° 3.99" 0.0"
June 87.2° 66.1° 4.87" 0.0"
July 90.6° 70.3° 4.65" 0.0"
August 88.7° 68.8° 4.71" 0.0"
September 82.4° 62.9° 5.72" 0.0"
October 72.5° 50.9° 3.90" 0.0"
November 62.1° 40.9° 3.51" 0.1"
December 54.7° 34.9° 3.68" 1.0"

Rainfall by month

Precipitation is spread fairly evenly through the year here, with 31% falling in the wettest three months (Jul, Aug, Sep).

January 3.65"
February 2.88"
March 4.17"
April 3.63"
May 3.99"
June 4.87"
July 4.65"
August 4.71"
September 5.72"
October 3.90"
November 3.51"
December 3.68"
Annual total 49.36"

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 1,779
Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 3,165
Approximate annual cooling cost At 15.09¢/kWh, North Carolina average $268
Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $167

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 Wake County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Wake County?

Wake County averages a high of 90.6°F in July and a low of 31.6°F in January. Annual precipitation is 49.36 inches, including 4.5 inches of snow.

When is the rainy season in Wake County?

The wettest stretch is Jul, Aug, Sep, which accounts for 31% of the year's precipitation. Precipitation is relatively evenly distributed across the year.

How hot does it get in Wake County?

The average daily high in July, the hottest month, is 90.6°F. That drives 1,779 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Wake County?

Yes. Wake County averages 4.5 inches of snow a year.

Sources

  • Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station RALEIGH STATE UNIV, NC US (USC00317079), 2.7 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.