Carteret in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Carteret sees average daytime highs around 42°F and overnight lows near 29°F, with 10.2 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 42°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Carteret's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Carteret's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 42°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 29°F
- Precipitation
- 10.2 in
- 27 wet days
- Avg wind
- 8 mph
- Travel score
- 0.4
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Carteret in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 42°F.
A typical winter day in Carteret reaches about 42°F and drops to 29°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Carteret
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 90 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Carteret 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.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39° / 27° | 3.2 | 9.2 | 3.9 | 9.4 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 42° / 28° | 3.0 | 8.5 | 3.4 | 10.4 | 0.3 |
| Mar | 49° / 35° | 4.2 | 10.4 | 2.8 | 11.7 | 2.0 |
| Apr | 61° / 46° | 3.6 | 10.6 | 0.3 | 13 | 4.8 |
| May | 70° / 55° | 3.4 | 11.1 | 0 | 14.2 | 6.3 |
| Jun | 79° / 65° | 4.0 | 11.1 | 0 | 14.8 | 6.3 |
| Jul | 84° / 71° | 4.1 | 11.3 | 0 | 14.6 | 5.2 |
| Aug | 82° / 69° | 4.1 | 10.6 | 0 | 13.6 | 6.0 |
| Sep | 76° / 62° | 3.7 | 9.2 | 0 | 12.3 | 7.0 |
| Oct | 65° / 51° | 3.7 | 8.5 | 0 | 10.9 | 6.0 |
| Nov | 53° / 40° | 3.0 | 7.8 | 0.3 | 9.7 | 3.3 |
| Dec | 44° / 32° | 3.9 | 9.5 | 2 | 9.2 | 0.8 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Carteret gets around 10.2 in of rain and snow over 27 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 8 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 18 min in early December to 10 h 54 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.3 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Carteret
None of Carteret's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Carteret sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
Is winter a good time to visit Carteret?
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.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Carteret.
What to pack for Carteret in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Carteret sees daytime highs around 42°F and nights near 29°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 27 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Carteret in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 44°F across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 19 mi away) is warmest in August at about 74°F and coldest in February near 40°F.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 30 to Sep 26 — about 2.9 months when the water holds above 68°F.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 43 | 40 | 41 | 46 | 55 | 65 | 72 | 74 | 71 | 63 | 55 | 48 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | Bracing |
| Feb | 40 | Bracing |
| Mar | 41 | Bracing |
| Apr | 46 | Bracing |
| May | 55 | Bracing |
| Jun | 65 | Cool |
| Jul | 72 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 74 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 71 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 63 | Cool |
| Nov | 55 | Bracing |
| Dec | 48 | Bracing |
UV index in Carteret in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Carteret peaks around July 11 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 1 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Low |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | Moderate |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 7 | Very high |
| Jun | 8 | Very high |
| Jul | 8 | Very high |
| Aug | 6 | High |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Air quality in Carteret in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Carteret is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.8× the cleanest month (November, 10 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 12 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 12 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | Moderate |
| Feb | 15 | Moderate |
| Mar | 16 | Moderate |
| Apr | 16 | Moderate |
| May | 17 | Moderate |
| Jun | 17 | Moderate |
| Jul | 18 | Moderate |
| Aug | 16 | Moderate |
| Sep | 14 | Moderate |
| Oct | 11 | Good |
| Nov | 10 | Good |
| Dec | 12 | Good |
Where is Carteret?
Carteret sits at 40.6°N, 74.2°W, 13 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Rossville, 1.9 mi away.
Topography around Carteret
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Carteret.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Carteret has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 200 ft around an average of 23 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 489 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,755 ft.
The land around Carteret is covered by artificial surfaces (45%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (35%), trees (29%) and water (25%) within 10 miles, and trees (54%) and water (23%) within 50 miles.
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
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 Carteret (40.5773°, -74.2282°, elevation 13 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.