Cary in Summer

In summer (June, July and August), Cary sees average daytime highs around 87°F and overnight lows near 70°F, with 13.0 in of rain over about 40 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.

Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 87°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Summer is Cary's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Cary's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
87°F
warmest season of the year
Avg overnight low
70°F
Rainfall
13.0 in
40 wet days
Avg wind
5 mph
Travel score
4.3
3rd-best season
Months
Jun · Jul · Aug

Temperature in Cary in Summer

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 87°F.

A typical summer day in Cary reaches about 87°F and drops to 70°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is July, the coolest June.

60°80°100°JunJulAug

How summer really feels in Cary

Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer brings about 61 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
61
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in summer is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Cary weather by month

How the three summer months (June, July and August) 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°3.79.31.29.82.7
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 Summer

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time across summer.

0%25%50%75%100%JunJulAug

Chance of precipitation in Summer

Any precipitation

Cary gets around 13.0 in of rain over 40 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%JunJulAug

Humidity in Summer

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%JunJulAug

Wind in Summer

Winds average 5 mph across summer.

0246810JunJulAug

Sunrise & sunset in Summer

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 12 min in early June to 12 h 48 min by late August. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJunJulAug

Solar energy in Summer

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 5.8 kWh/m².

0246JunJulAug
Planning a trip in summer

Is summer a good time to visit Cary?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.2
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

summer is a reasonable time to visit Cary for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Cary in Summer

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

In summer, Cary sees daytime highs around 87°F and nights near 70°F. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 40 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Cary in Summer

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Cary 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 Cary in Summer

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Cary 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 Cary?

Cary sits at 35.8°N, 78.8°W, 499 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Morrisville, 3.1 mi away.

Topography around Cary

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Cary has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 223 ft around an average of 463 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 617 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,122 ft.

The land around Cary is covered by trees (74%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 2 miles, trees (70%) within 10 miles, and trees (75%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
223 ft
10 miles
617 ft
50 miles
1,122 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Summer weather nearby: Morrisville 3.1 mi · Apex 5.6 mi · West Raleigh 6.8 mi · Raleigh 8.1 mi · Holly Springs 9.9 mi · Garner 11 mi · Fuquay-Varina 14 mi · Durham 16 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 Cary (35.7915°, -78.7811°, 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.