Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina, sits on the rolling Piedmont plateau in the centre of the state, between the Appalachians and the Atlantic coastal plain at approximately 35.78°N, 78.64°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 Atlantic hurricanes tracking inland can bring torrential rain and flooding in late summer.

Winter, from December to February, is mild and short, with January the coolest month — average highs around 11°C and lows near -2°C. Snow is light, around 15 cm a year, but ice storms are the real hazard, as cold air wedges beneath warm, moist air over the Piedmont, glazing roads and bringing down power lines.

Raleigh receives around 1,150–1,200 mm of precipitation a year, spread through every month with a summer maximum from thunderstorms and tropical systems. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Raleigh's Piedmont setting makes ice, rather than snow, its defining winter hazard: cold air trapped against the Appalachians slides beneath warm Atlantic air, turning rain to glaze on contact. In summer, hurricanes that make landfall on the Carolina coast can still bring damaging rain this far inland.

To follow any single measurement in Raleigh 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.