Durham in Fall
In fall (September, October and November), Durham sees average daytime highs around 13°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 176 mm of precipitation over about 33 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.
Over the season highs ease from about 18°C in early September to 8°C by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.
Fall is Durham's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Durham's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 13°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 8°C
- Precipitation
- 176 mm
- 33 wet days
- Avg wind
- 17 km/h
- Travel score
- 3.4
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Sep · Oct · Nov
Temperature in Durham in Fall
Over the season highs ease from about 18°C in early September to 8°C by late November.
A typical fall day in Durham reaches about 13°C and drops to 8°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.
How fall really feels in Durham
Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 7 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in fall is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Durham weather by month
How the three fall months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7° / 3° | 55 | 12.3 | 1.9 | 7.6 | 0.7 |
| Feb | 7° / 2° | 48 | 11.1 | 2.1 | 9.3 | 0.9 |
| Mar | 9° / 3° | 45 | 10.4 | 1.2 | 11.5 | 1.8 |
| Apr | 12° / 5° | 53 | 11 | 0.4 | 13.7 | 2.8 |
| May | 14° / 7° | 49 | 11.6 | 0 | 15.8 | 4.0 |
| Jun | 17° / 10° | 63 | 11.4 | 0 | 16.9 | 5.1 |
| Jul | 19° / 12° | 63 | 12.1 | 0 | 16.5 | 5.7 |
| Aug | 19° / 12° | 68 | 12.4 | 0 | 14.7 | 5.6 |
| Sep | 17° / 10° | 55 | 9.5 | 0 | 12.5 | 5.1 |
| Oct | 13° / 8° | 58 | 11.2 | 0.1 | 10.2 | 3.4 |
| Nov | 9° / 5° | 63 | 12.2 | 0.6 | 8.2 | 1.8 |
| Dec | 7° / 3° | 62 | 12.8 | 1.3 | 7.1 | 0.8 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Durham gets around 176 mm of rain and snow over 33 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 17 km/h across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min in early September to 7 h 24 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Fall
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 1.7 kWh/m².
Is fall a good time to visit Durham?
Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
fall is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Durham.
What to pack for Durham in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Durham sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 8°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 33 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Durham in Fall
The nearest coast averages about 12°C across fall — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 17 km away) is warmest in August at about 15°C and coldest in March near 6°C.
The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 9 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Bracing |
| Feb | 7 | Bracing |
| Mar | 6 | Bracing |
| Apr | 7 | Bracing |
| May | 9 | Bracing |
| Jun | 12 | Bracing |
| Jul | 14 | Bracing |
| Aug | 15 | Bracing |
| Sep | 13 | Bracing |
| Oct | 12 | Bracing |
| Nov | 10 | Bracing |
| Dec | 9 | Bracing |
UV index in Durham in Fall
Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Durham peaks around August 10 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 0 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Level | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | High | Moderate | Low | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | Low |
| Feb | 1 | Low |
| Mar | 2 | Moderate |
| Apr | 3 | Moderate |
| May | 5 | Moderate |
| Jun | 5 | High |
| Jul | 6 | High |
| Aug | 6 | High |
| Sep | 3 | Moderate |
| Oct | 2 | Low |
| Nov | 1 | Low |
| Dec | 0 | Low |
Where is Durham?
Durham sits at 54.8°N, 1.6°W, 52 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Spennymoor, 9.0 km away.
Topography around Durham
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Durham.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Durham has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 112 m around an average of 77 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 323 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 906 m.
The land around Durham is covered by trees (37%), grassland (25%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, grassland (39%), cropland (25%) and trees (23%) within 16 km, and grassland (54%) and water (20%) within 80 km.
United Kingdom travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type D / G / M
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 89% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $57,602
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.7 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 100%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 1.1
- per 100k, 2021
- Road deaths
- 3.2
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Durham (54.7768°, -1.5757°, elevation 52 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.