Raleigh, North Carolina Weather
Thunder quiets the land. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Raleigh weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 10:19 AM EDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Clear25%—92°68°—
- TuesdaySep 22Clear77%—87°72°-5°
- WednesdaySep 23Light Drizzle77%0.02″73°63°-14°
- ThursdaySep 24Rain51%0.42″67°58°-6°
- FridaySep 25Overcast——72°54°+5°
- SaturdaySep 26Mostly Clear——76°54°+4°
- SundaySep 27Overcast——79°58°+3°
Air quality now AQI 59 · Moderate
AQI 59 (Moderate), driven by PM2.5. AQI projected to climb to 93 over the next 6 hours. PM2.5 at 12.2 µg/m³ (AQI 57) with a 0.93 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 49 now. With UV 4.1 peaking around 1 PM under clear skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 27.
- Present
- AQI 49
- UV peak
- 4.1 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- clear
- Projected peak
- AQI 27
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 12.2 µg/m³ (AQI 57) with a 0.93 fine-to-coarse ratio and 3 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.93
- 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
- 4:35 PM
- Moonset
- 1:47 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder quiets the land
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Raleigh at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 80°F (high 92°F, low 68°F), 9°F above the 71°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: March 28 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 7 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
16-Day Forecast — Raleigh
- Mon92°68°25%
- Tue87°72°77%
- Wed73°63°77%
- Thu67°58°51%
- Fri72°54°8%
- Sat76°54°2%
- Sun79°58°1%
- Mon81°62°3%
- Tue81°62°6%
- Wed82°63°14%
- Thu83°66°13%
- Fri86°68°19%
- Sat84°66°23%
- Sun73°67°19%
- Mon73°60°16%
- Tue67°53°23%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Raleigh
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Raleigh — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Late season
As of September 21, the first frost (around November 8) is about 7 weeks away. Frost-tender plants keep producing until then. This city's planting calendar for September: harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Raleigh
SPC includes Raleigh in the general thunderstorm area today — no severe risk, but storms are possible.
- TODAYTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- DAY 3TSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
Thunderstorms possible. Not severe, but capable of producing lightning and brief heavy rain.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook.
Sun & seasons in Raleigh
Raleigh sits in Wake County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 35m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 43m — a swing of +4h 52m 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 130 miles to the WSW. The nearest town Raleigh tracks is Cary, roughly 10 miles to the WSW.
Air quality in Raleigh
Air quality in Raleigh’s county has held roughly steady since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2025 (median AQI 43). See the full air-quality history for Raleigh.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| March | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | radishes |
| April | lettuce, 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, winter squash, garlic |
| August | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| September | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| November | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| December | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
July is Raleigh's warmest stretch (~80°F) and January its coldest (~42°F); precipitation crests in September at 5.7 inches and ebbs in February to 2.9 inches.
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 3.6″ | 7 |
| February | 44° | 2.9″ | 6 |
| March | 51° | 4.2″ | 7 |
| April | 61° | 3.6″ | 6 |
| May | 69° | 4.0″ | 6 |
| June | 77° | 4.9″ | 7 |
| July | 80° | 4.7″ | 7 |
| August | 79° | 4.7″ | 7 |
| September | 73° | 5.7″ | 6 |
| October | 62° | 3.9″ | 5 |
| November | 52° | 3.5″ | 5 |
| December | 45° | 3.7″ | 6 |
Regional context
Similar climates Knightdale, NC, Garner, NC, Cary, NC
In Raleigh, NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals put January near 42°F and July near 80°F — a 39°F seasonal arc — with about 49.4 inches of precipitation over 74 rainy or snowy days.
No season owns Raleigh's rain: September reaches 5.7 inches across 5.9 days and February keeps 2.9 inches on 6.0, an even spread through Raleigh's year. It is a balanced pattern Raleigh shares with places like Knightdale, NC, Garner, NC and Cary, NC.
Raleigh reaches its last hard frost near March 28; that is the cue for peas, lettuce, spinach, and radishes. Heat-demanding starts go out a fortnight on in Raleigh, after the soil warms and cold snaps clear. By November 8, frost is back in Raleigh — protect or harvest anything tender. That date is a median: Raleigh freezes sooner in half of years.
Similar climates: Knightdale, NC, Garner, NC, Cary, NC, Morrisville, NC, Wake Forest, NC.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Raleigh?
- In Raleigh, expect the last spring frost near March 28; Raleigh's first autumn frost comes around November 8.
- What is the rainy season in Raleigh?
- Raleigh sees its heaviest rain in September (around 5.7 inches), part of roughly 49 inches a year.
- What is the warmest month in Raleigh?
- On average July tops the year in Raleigh at about 80°F.
- What is the coldest month in Raleigh?
- The coldest stretch in Raleigh falls in January, around 42°F on average.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Raleigh?
- Hardy spring crops go in near March 28 in Raleigh; tender peppers and squash wait 10–14 days.
- How many rainy days does Raleigh get?
- Expect roughly 74 wet days a year in Raleigh.
- What hardiness zone is Raleigh?
- With January around 42°F, Raleigh's zone reflects that minimum — the USDA ZIP map confirms Raleigh's band.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Raleigh?
- Raleigh'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 Raleigh?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Raleigh in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Raleigh?
- Current conditions for Raleigh and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Raleigh forecast updated?
- The Raleigh forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Raleigh?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Raleigh 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 Raleigh?
- The next few days in Raleigh's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Raleigh sits at 35.8°N; its climate zone is humid subtropical (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Raleigh
- 27601
- 27602
- 27603
- 27604
- 27605
- 27606
- 27607
- 27608
- 27609
- 27610
- 27612
- 27613
- 27614
- 27615
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- 27628
- 27634
- 27636
- 27640
- 27650
- 27656
- 27658
- 27661
- 27668
- 27675
- 27676
- 27690
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- 27697
- 27698