Hickory, North Carolina Weather
Thunder quiets the land. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Hickory weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 10:24 AM EDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Clear later15%—89°65°—
- TuesdaySep 22Heavy Rain80%1.2″81°67°-8°
- WednesdaySep 23Rain80%0.55″66°56°-15°
- ThursdaySep 24Showers58%0.38″64°54°-2°
- FridaySep 25Overcast——75°49°+11°
- SaturdaySep 26Overcast——77°48°+2°
- SundaySep 27Overcast——80°53°+3°
Air quality now AQI 51 · Moderate
AQI 51 (Moderate), driven by PM2.5. AQI projected to climb to 71 over the next 6 hours. PM2.5 at 11.1 µg/m³ (AQI 55) with a 0.98 fine-to-coarse ratio and 3 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion during the projected peak around 7 PM.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 38 now. With UV 3.4 peaking around 1 PM under clear skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 17.
- Present
- AQI 38
- UV peak
- 3.4 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- clear
- Projected peak
- AQI 17
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 11.1 µg/m³ (AQI 55) with a 0.98 fine-to-coarse ratio and 3 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.98
- Wind
- calm
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- stagnant smoke
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- 4:46 PM
- Moonset
- 1:59 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder quiets the land
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Hickory at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 77°F (high 89°F, low 65°F), 7°F above the 70°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: March 31 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 5 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
16-Day Forecast — Hickory
- Mon89°65°15%
- Tue81°67°80%
- Wed66°56°80%
- Thu64°54°58%
- Fri75°49°5%
- Sat77°48°1%
- Sun80°53°2%
- Mon81°58°4%
- Tue80°57°9%
- Wed81°57°20%
- Thu82°62°16%
- Fri83°61°19%
- Sat81°61°16%
- Sun70°64°17%
- Mon70°56°16%
- Tue65°44°20%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Hickory
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Hickory — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Fall planting + final harvests
As of September 21, the season's first frost (typically November 4) is approaching. Pick what frost-tender plants still carry before the next cold front. This city's planting calendar for September: plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Hickory
SPC has placed Hickory in the Marginal Risk category for severe thunderstorms today.
- TODAYMRGLMarginal Risk
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- DAY 3TSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
Isolated severe storms possible. Limited threat for hail or damaging wind.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook.
Sun & seasons in Hickory
Hickory sits in Catawba County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 35m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 44m — a swing of +4h 51m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Charlotte, the state’s largest city, lies about 46 miles to the SE. The nearest town Hickory tracks is Gastonia, roughly 35 miles to the SSE.
Air quality in Hickory
Air quality in Hickory’s county has held roughly steady since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2020 (median AQI 42). See the full air-quality history for Hickory.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| March | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, spinach, radishes |
| May | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| June | beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| August | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| September | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| November | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
In Hickory, July runs warmest near 79°F and January coldest around 38°F, while August is the wettest month (5.0 inches) and October the driest (2.4 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip |
|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 4.0″ |
| February | 42° | 3.8″ |
| March | 49° | 4.4″ |
| April | 58° | 3.6″ |
| May | 67° | 3.4″ |
| June | 75° | 3.9″ |
| July | 79° | 4.1″ |
| August | 77° | 5.0″ |
| September | 72° | 3.5″ |
| October | 61° | 2.4″ |
| November | 49° | 3.7″ |
| December | 41° | 4.4″ |
Regional context
Similar climates Brookford, NC, St. Stephens, NC, Northlakes, NC
By modelled 1991-2020 normals (EC_Earth3P_HR model via Open-Meteo), Hickory sees 38°F Januarys and 79°F Julys, a 40°F range, plus around 46.3 inches of precipitation.
No season owns Hickory's rain: August reaches 5.0 inches and October keeps 2.4 inches, an even spread through Hickory's year. That even rhythm groups Hickory with places like Brookford, NC, St. Stephens, NC and Northlakes, NC.
Hickory's growing window opens around March 31, once Hickory's overnight lows stop freezing — sow peas, lettuce, spinach, and radishes. Warm-soil crops in Hickory wait about two weeks past Hickory's last frost, once the soil warms. It shuts near November 4, when freezes return to Hickory and tender plants need cover. In about half of years, Hickory's last freeze comes after March 31.
Similar climates: Brookford, NC, St. Stephens, NC, Northlakes, NC, Long View, NC, Mountain View, NC.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Hickory?
- In Hickory, expect the last spring frost near March 31; Hickory's first autumn frost comes around November 4.
- What is the rainy season in Hickory?
- Rainfall in Hickory peaks in August near 5.0 inches, out of about 46 inches annually.
- What is the warmest month in Hickory?
- July is Hickory's warmest month, averaging about 79°F.
- What is the coldest month in Hickory?
- Hickory bottoms out in January, with a mean near 38°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Hickory?
- Time tomatoes in Hickory for two weeks after March 31; peas and greens start at Hickory's frost line.
- What hardiness zone is Hickory?
- Hickory's hardiness zone tracks its winter low; with January near 38°F, check the USDA ZIP map for the exact zone.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Hickory?
- Hickory's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Hickory?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Hickory in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Hickory?
- Current conditions for Hickory and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Hickory forecast updated?
- The Hickory forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Hickory?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Hickory are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Hickory?
- The next few days in Hickory's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Hickory sits at 35.7°N; its climate zone is humid subtropical (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Hickory
- 28601
- 28602
- 28603