Apex in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Apex sees average daytime highs around 53°F and overnight lows near 35°F, with 10.4 in of precipitation over about 27 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 53°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Apex's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Apex's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
53°F
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
35°F
Precipitation
10.4 in
27 wet days
Avg wind
7 mph
Travel score
3.2
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Apex in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 53°F.

A typical winter day in Apex reaches about 53°F and drops to 35°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.

20°40°60°80°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Apex

Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 77 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
77
wind chill below the day's low

The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Apex weather by month

How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan51° / 34°3.79.31.29.92.7
Feb55° / 36°3.291.310.63.4
Mar62° / 42°4.110.40.511.75.4
Apr72° / 51°3.59.1012.96.8
May79° / 60°3.510.4013.96.6
Jun86° / 68°4.112.1014.44.8
Jul89° / 72°4.615.2014.23.7
Aug87° / 70°4.412.4013.44.5
Sep81° / 64°4.710.2012.26.3
Oct72° / 53°3.17.2011.17.2
Nov62° / 42°3.37.70.110.15.7
Dec54° / 37°3.69.10.69.63.4

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitationSnow

Apex gets around 10.4 in of rain and snow over 27 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 7 mph across winter.

0246810DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min in early December to 11 h 06 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.7 kWh/m².

01234DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Is winter a good time to visit Apex?

Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

3.2
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Apex.

What to pack for Apex in Winter

From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In winter, Apex sees daytime highs around 53°F and nights near 35°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 27 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Apex in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Apex peaks around July 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Apex in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Apex is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1718 µg/m³Nov 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Apex?

Apex sits at 35.7°N, 78.9°W, 499 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Cary, 5.6 mi away.

Topography around Apex

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Apex.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Apex has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 243 ft around an average of 440 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 604 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,119 ft.

The land around Apex is covered by trees (62%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 2 miles, trees (71%) within 10 miles, and trees (75%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
243 ft
10 miles
604 ft
50 miles
1,119 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Winter weather nearby: Cary 5.6 mi · Holly Springs 5.6 mi · Morrisville 6.2 mi · Fuquay-Varina 11 mi · West Raleigh 11 mi · Raleigh 12 mi · Garner 13 mi · Chapel Hill 17 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

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 Apex (35.7326°, -78.8503°, elevation 499 ft), 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.