Photo: Maria Miracoli · CC BY-SA 4.0Durham’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 29°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Durham at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Durham’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Durham’s place in North Carolina beside it.
What a year in Durham feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 219 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 31 and the first by November 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Raleigh Durham International Airport, 9 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Durham’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 12°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 3 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Chapel Hill 2 W, NC, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 47 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 124 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Durham
64% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Raleigh Durham International Airport.
Living with Durham’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
219 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 31 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 83 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Durham from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (62%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Durham and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Durham in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Durham’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durham, NC | 29° | 90° | 47" | 2.8" |
| Gaffney, SC | 30° | 90° | 47" | 1.9" |
| Sikeston, MO | 28° | 90° | 49" | 3.1" |
| Williamsburg, VA | 30° | 89° | 49" | 4.3" |
| Blytheville, AR | 31° | 90° | 50" | 2.9" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Durham averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 71% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods. In a city of 306,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Durham compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Durham’s place among North Carolina’s.
Durham weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Durham’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Chapel Hill 2 W, NC. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 29° | 3.6" | 1.5" | 11 | 0 | 35° – 47° |
| February | 55° | 32° | 3.0" | 0.9" | 10 | 0 | 34° – 51° |
| March | 63° | 38° | 4.3" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 43° – 59° |
| April | 72° | 46° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 55° – 65° |
| May | 79° | 55° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 62° – 73° |
| June | 87° | 64° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| July | 90° | 68° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 75° – 82° |
| August | 88° | 67° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 74° – 83° |
| September | 82° | 60° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| October | 72° | 48° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 57° – 65° |
| November | 62° | 38° | 3.4" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| December | 54° | 32° | 3.6" | 0.2" | 11 | 0 | 34° – 54° |
| Year | 71° | 48° | 47.3" | 2.8" | 124 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 34° to 54°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Durham’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Durham’s center.
- Snow: Chapel Hill 2 W, NC.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Raleigh Durham International Airport, 9 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Durham’s climate
What is the weather like in Durham?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 29°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 72% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 77% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Durham in winter?
January nights average 29°. About 65 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 35°.
How much snow does Durham get?
About 2.8 inches in a normal winter at Chapel Hill 2 W, NC, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 0 days a year.
How hot does it get in Durham?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 68°. About 52 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Raleigh Durham International Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Durham?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 31 and the first fall frost by November 4, about 219 frost-free days, at Raleigh Durham International Airport.
What growing zone is Durham in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Durham?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Durham getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 71% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Durham.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.