Durham in Spring
In spring (March, April and May), Durham sees average daytime highs around 70°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 11.2 in of precipitation over about 30 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.
Over the season highs climb from about 58°F in early March to 81°F by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.
Spring 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
- 70°F
- 3rd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 51°F
- Precipitation
- 11.2 in
- 30 wet days
- Avg wind
- 7 mph
- Travel score
- 6.2
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Mar · Apr · May
Temperature in Durham in Spring
Over the season highs climb from about 58°F in early March to 81°F by late May.
A typical spring day in Durham reaches about 70°F and drops to 51°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.
How spring really feels in Durham
Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F.
spring sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Durham weather by month
How the three spring months (March, April and May) 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 | 50° / 33° | 3.6 | 9.4 | 1.4 | 9.8 | 2.4 |
| Feb | 54° / 35° | 3.2 | 8.9 | 1.3 | 10.6 | 3.3 |
| Mar | 62° / 42° | 4.3 | 10.5 | 0.5 | 11.7 | 5.2 |
| Apr | 71° / 51° | 3.5 | 9.3 | 0 | 12.9 | 6.7 |
| May | 78° / 60° | 3.4 | 10.6 | 0 | 13.9 | 6.6 |
| Jun | 85° / 68° | 3.9 | 12 | 0 | 14.4 | 5.0 |
| Jul | 88° / 71° | 4.3 | 14.9 | 0 | 14.2 | 3.9 |
| Aug | 86° / 70° | 3.9 | 11.6 | 0 | 13.4 | 4.7 |
| Sep | 81° / 64° | 4.4 | 9.4 | 0 | 12.2 | 6.4 |
| Oct | 71° / 53° | 3.1 | 7.5 | 0 | 11.1 | 7.1 |
| Nov | 61° / 42° | 3.3 | 7.7 | 0.1 | 10.1 | 5.5 |
| Dec | 53° / 36° | 3.5 | 9.2 | 0.6 | 9.6 | 3.2 |
Cloud cover in Spring
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time across spring.
Chance of precipitation in Spring
Durham gets around 11.2 in of rain and snow over 30 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Spring
Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Spring
Winds average 7 mph across spring.
Sunrise & sunset in Spring
Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min in early March to 14 h 12 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Spring
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 5.3 kWh/m².
Is spring a good time to visit Durham?
Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
spring is a reasonable time to visit Durham for sightseeing.
What to pack for Durham in Spring
From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In spring, Durham sees daytime highs around 70°F and nights near 51°F. Worth packing: light clothes, a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 30 days see rain.
UV index in Durham in Spring
Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Durham 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | High |
| Apr | 7 | High |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | High |
| Oct | 5 | Moderate |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Moderate |
Air quality in Durham in Spring
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where spring falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Durham 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
| Level | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Good |
| Feb | 10 | Good |
| Mar | 12 | Moderate |
| Apr | 12 | Moderate |
| May | 13 | Moderate |
| Jun | 16 | Moderate |
| Jul | 18 | Moderate |
| Aug | 16 | Moderate |
| Sep | 12 | Good |
| Oct | 9 | Good |
| Nov | 8 | Good |
| Dec | 8 | Good |
Where is Durham?
Durham sits at 36.0°N, 78.9°W, 404 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Chapel Hill, 11 mi away.
Topography around Durham
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Durham.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Durham has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 184 ft around an average of 374 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 614 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,122 ft.
The land around Durham is covered by trees (61%) and artificial surfaces (34%) within 2 miles, trees (78%) within 10 miles, and trees (78%) 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 Durham (35.994°, -78.8986°, elevation 404 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.