Charlotte, North Carolina's largest city, sits on the rolling Piedmont plateau near the South Carolina border, between the Appalachians and the coast at approximately 35.23°N, 80.84°W. It has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — with hot, humid summers and mild winters — and four distinct seasons.

Summer, from June to August, is hot and humid, with July the warmest month — average highs around 32°C — and heatwaves that can exceed 37°C. It is the wettest season, with frequent afternoon thunderstorms, and the remnants of hurricanes crossing the Carolinas can bring torrential rain and damaging winds.

Winter, from December to February, is mild and short, with January the coolest month — average highs around 11°C and lows near -1°C. Snow is light, around 10 cm a year, but ice storms are a recurring hazard on the Piedmont, capable of paralysing the city and bringing down trees and power lines.

Charlotte receives around 1,050–1,100 mm of precipitation a year, spread through every month with a summer maximum from thunderstorms and tropical systems; the Appalachians to the west shelter the city somewhat from Gulf moisture. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Charlotte sits in a mild pocket of the Piedmont, sheltered by the Appalachians from the worst of both Gulf storms and Arctic outbreaks, but that same position makes freezing rain — rather than snow — its chief winter hazard, as cold air dams against the mountains beneath warmer air aloft.

To follow any single measurement in Charlotte more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.