Clayton weather in August

In August, Clayton sees average daytime highs of 87°F and overnight lows near 70°F, with 4.7 in of rain across 12.2 wet days and about 13.3 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 87°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in August, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of August to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Clayton's 9th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Clayton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
87°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
70°
11th coldest
Rainfall
4.7 in
12.2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 24 min
5:37 AM – 6:59 PM
Cloud cover
59%
9th clearest
Wind
5 mph
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.37 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Clayton is town in North Carolina.

Density
551/km²
people per km²
Founded
1869

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 87°F through the month.

A typical August day in Clayton reaches about 87°F in the afternoon and slips back to 70°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 80°F and 93°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 2°F cooler than July and about 6°F warmer than September.

60°70°80°90°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18871
28871
38871
48771
58771
68771
78771
88771
98771
108771
118771
128771
138771
148771
158770
168770
178770
188770
198770
208670
218670
228670
238669
248669
258669
268669
278669
288569
298569
308568
318568

How August really feels in Clayton

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 22 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
22
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Clayton weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan51° / 34°3.79.51.29.92.7
Feb55° / 36°3.18.91.210.73.4
Mar62° / 42°4.110.20.411.75.4
Apr72° / 51°3.69.3012.96.8
May79° / 60°3.710.7013.96.5
Jun86° / 68°4.312.1014.44.8
Jul89° / 72°4.915.6014.23.8
Aug87° / 70°4.712.2013.34.5
Sep81° / 64°4.910.1012.26.3
Oct72° / 52°3.27.5011.17.2
Nov62° / 42°3.47.70.110.15.7
Dec54° / 36°3.69.30.69.63.4

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24852
34852
44951
55050
65149
75149
85149
95149
105248
115149
125149
135149
145149
155149
165149
175149
185149
195149
205248
215248
225248
235248
245149
255149
265149
275050
285050
295149
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Clayton gets around 4.7 in of rain over 12.2 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 41% and peaks near 49% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
149
248
347
446
545
645
744
844
943
1043
1143
1243
1342
1442
1542
1641
1741
1840
1939
2039
2138
2237
2337
2436
2536
2636
2735
2835
2935
3035
3135

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the oppressive band about 43% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 80% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1141029542
2141029533
3141030523
4141130513
5141130513
6141131503
7141231493
8141232483
9141232473
10141233473
11141233463
12141234463
13141234453
14141235453
15141235443
16141336433
17151336433
18151437422
19151437412
20151437402
21161438402
22161538392
23161538381
24171538381
25171638371
26181637361
27191737351
28291736351
292101835341
302111835331
313111834331

Wind in August

Winds average 5 mph in August, the calmest month.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of August to 12 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 60 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:25 AM to 5:49 AM, and sunset from 7:15 PM to 6:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:257:15
213.85:267:14
313.85:277:13
413.75:287:12
513.75:287:11
613.75:297:10
713.65:307:09
813.65:317:08
913.65:327:07
1013.65:327:06
1113.55:337:05
1213.55:347:03
1313.55:357:02
1413.45:367:01
1513.45:367:00
1613.45:376:59
1713.35:386:57
1813.35:396:56
1913.35:406:55
2013.25:406:54
2113.25:416:52
2213.25:426:51
2313.15:436:50
2413.15:446:48
2513.05:446:47
2613.05:456:46
2713.05:466:44
2812.95:476:43
2912.95:476:42
3012.95:486:40
3112.85:496:39

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.37 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.26 kWh/m² to a high of 6.18 kWh/m² in June across the year — August's 5.37 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Clayton?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

4.5
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
6.4
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Clayton in August

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

In August, Clayton sees daytime highs around 87°F and nights near 70°F. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Clayton in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Clayton 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
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Clayton in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Clayton 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 Clayton?

Clayton sits at 35.7°N, 78.5°W, 341 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Garner, 9.9 mi away.

Topography around Clayton

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Clayton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 279 ft around an average of 305 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 387 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,014 ft.

The land around Clayton is covered by trees (60%) and grassland (21%) within 2 miles, trees (65%) and grassland (22%) within 10 miles, and trees (70%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
279 ft
10 miles
387 ft
50 miles
1,014 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
August weather nearby: Garner 9.9 mi · Raleigh 13 mi · West Raleigh 15 mi · Fuquay-Varina 20 mi · Cary 21 mi · Holly Springs 21 mi · Apex 23 mi · Wake Forest 23 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 Clayton (35.6507°, -78.4564°, elevation 341 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. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).