Climate and average weather in Lenoir

In Lenoir, the summers are humid, hot, showery, and partly cloudy and the winters are cool, snowy, and partly cloudy.

Best: late March to late June

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Lenoir typically varies from 30°F to 85°F, and is rarely below 17°F or above 91°F. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Lenoir for warm-weather activities are from late March to late June and late August to early November.

Hottest
Jul
85°
Coldest
Jan
30°
Wettest
Mar
4.7 in
Driest
Jul
3.3 in
Rain / yr
46.8 in
123 wet days
Daylight
9.6–14.4 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
1,171 ft
35.9°N
Clearest
Oct
47% cloud

Lenoir is city in Caldwell County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
334/km²
people per km²
Founded
1841

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

Lenoir weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around late March to late June.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Lenoir, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

The hot season lasts 4.1 months, from May 21 to September 22, with daily high temperatures above 75°F. The hottest month of the year in Lenoir is July, with an average high of 85°F and low of 67°F.

The cool season lasts 3.1 months, from November 27 to February 28, with daily high temperatures below 54°F. The coldest month of the year in Lenoir is January, with an average low of 30°F and high of 47°F.

Days typically run about 19°F warmer than nights year-round.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
Jan4730
Feb5133
Mar5939
Apr6847
May7455
Jun8163
Jul8567
Aug8366
Sep7859
Oct6848
Nov5838
Dec5033

How hot and cold Lenoir really feels

Feels-like highFeels-like lowactual air temp

The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.

On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about 23°F (around January 22), with roughly 104 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 32°F), worst in January.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Feels-like high (°F)Air high (°F)Feels-like low (°F)Air low (°F)
Jan47472530
Feb51512733
Mar59593439
Apr68684447
May74745555
Jun82816363
Jul86856767
Aug84836666
Sep78785959
Oct68684648
Nov58583438
Dec50502833

Average hourly temperature in Lenoir

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 85°F, and coldest before dawn in January, near 30°F.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Lenoir weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan47° / 30°4.49.829.81.6
Feb51° / 33°3.69.12.110.62.5
Mar59° / 39°4.710.91.111.74.5
Apr68° / 47°4.39.80.112.96.3
May74° / 55°3.611.1013.96.6
Jun81° / 63°3.512.4014.45.9
Jul85° / 67°3.313.2014.25.0
Aug83° / 66°3.412013.45.6
Sep78° / 59°4.29.6012.26.9
Oct68° / 48°3.77.4011.16.8
Nov58° / 38°3.98.20.110.14.6
Dec50° / 33°4.29.21.19.62.3

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Lenoir gets about 46.8 in of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is often wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 4.3 months, from around Apr 16 to Aug 25, peaking in August at about 44% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Oct 17.

March is the wettest month by volume, with 4.7 in over about 11 wet days; July is the driest, with 3.3 in. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwetterdriermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetAug 1 · 44%Oct 17 · 23%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan3210
Feb329
Mar3311
Apr3410
May3611
Jun4112
Jul4313
Aug3912
Sep3110
Oct257
Nov278
Dec309

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Lenoir collects about 46.8 in of rain across 123 wet days — roughly 3.9 in in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. March is the wettest month with 4.7 in, while July is the driest at just 3.3 in. The three wettest months alone bring about 29% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0123456JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec4.43.64.74.33.63.53.33.44.23.73.94.2
Rainfall (in)Rain daysSnow days
Jan4.4102
Feb3.692
Mar4.7111
Apr4.3100
May3.6110
Jun3.5120
Jul3.3130
Aug3.4120
Sep4.2100
Oct3.770
Nov3.980
Dec4.291

Snow in Lenoir

Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.

Lenoir averages about 6 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Nov 28 to Mar 28 — about 4 months.

January is snowiest, with roughly 1.9 days of snow and an estimated 5 in of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 17 in of snow.

01234JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonJan 27
Snow daysSnowfall (in)
Jan25
Feb25
Mar13
Apr00
May00
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep00
Oct00
Nov00
Dec13

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Lenoir, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around August 16 and lasts for 3.6 months, ending around December 2. The clearest month is October, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 60% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around April 17 and lasts for 4.0 months, ending around August 15. The cloudiest month is June, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 52% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecOct 19 · 62%Jun 4 · 46%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan5149
Feb4951
Mar5050
Apr5149
May5050
Jun4852
Jul4852
Aug5149
Sep5545
Oct6040
Nov5644
Dec4852

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 8, brings about 14 h 24 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 9 h 36 min — a swing of roughly 4 h 48 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan9.87:415:30
Feb10.67:216:00
Mar11.76:446:27
Apr12.95:596:54
May13.95:267:19
Jun14.45:147:39
Jul14.25:257:38
Aug13.45:497:11
Sep12.26:146:27
Oct11.16:395:43
Nov10.17:095:13
Dec9.67:355:10

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Lenoir averages about 11 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 7 and 15 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 5.3 months, from around Sep 4 to Feb 12. The sunniest month is November, with roughly 14 sunny days (mixed).

The greyest month is July, down near 8 sunny days — about 46% fewer than the November peak.

05101520JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsunniergreyersunniergloomymixedbrightNov 415 daysJul 207 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan12Mixed
Feb10Mixed
Mar11Mixed
Apr10Mixed
May9Mixed
Jun8Mixed
Jul8Gloomy
Aug9Mixed
Sep12Mixed
Oct14Mixed
Nov14Mixed
Dec11Mixed

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Lenoir, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 4.5 months, from around May 17 to September 30. The muggiest month is July, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 88% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around October 1 to May 16, and January is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJan 17 · 100%Jul 24 · 9%oppressivehumidmuggydrycomfortablecomfortablehumidcomfortable
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
Jan981000
Feb991000
Mar973000
Apr8512300
May48232450
Jun131832351
Jul4826557
Aug41328495
Sep262528211
Oct7415820
Nov945100
Dec981000

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Across the year, average wind speed in Lenoir is typically calm, near 5 mph, and varies little with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 6.6 months, from around Oct 28 to May 15. The windiest month is April, averaging about 6 mph (calm).

The calmer part of the year runs from around May 16 to Oct 27, with August the calmest month at about 3 mph.

0510JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwindiercalmerwindiercalmlight breezeApr 8 · 6 mphAug 10 · 3 mph
Wind speed (mph)Feels
Jan5calm
Feb6calm
Mar6calm
Apr6calm
May5calm
Jun4calm
Jul4calm
Aug3calm
Sep4calm
Oct5calm
Nov5calm
Dec5calm

Best time to visit Lenoir

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Lenoir throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around mid June, Lenoir is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 64°F and 82°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Lenoir for general outdoor tourist activities run from early April to late June and again from late August to early November, with a peak score in the first week of October.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationOct 2 · 7.1

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan1.6poor
Feb2.6poor
Mar4.5fair
Apr6.2good
May6.6good
Jun5.9good
Jul5.0fair
Aug5.6good
Sep6.9good
Oct6.8good
Nov4.6fair
Dec2.3poor

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 75°F and 93°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Lenoir for hot-weather activities is from mid May to late September, with a peak score in the last week of August.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 31 · 6.8

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Lenoir, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 85°F), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 47°F), pack a warm layer and rain gear.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In July, Lenoir sees daytime highs around 85°F and nights near 67°F. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

UV index (midday) in Lenoir by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lenoir peaks around July 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 10Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Average hourly UV index in Lenoir

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in July the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan00
Feb3.50
Mar5.50
Apr73
May7.54.5
Jun8.55.5
Jul8.56
Aug7.54.5
Sep6.52.5
Oct4.50
Nov30
Dec00

Air quality in Lenoir by month

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.

Air quality in Lenoir is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1617 µg/m³Dec 197 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayTypical season (≥50%)

The growing season in Lenoir typically lasts about 316 days, from around February 13 to December 25 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from March 31 to October 29.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgrowing seasonFeb 1350%Mar 3190%Oct 2990%Dec 2550%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan4231
Feb5328
Mar7829
Apr970
May1000
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct960
Nov7630
Dec5531

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 50°F)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 50°F: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Lenoir banks about 3,706 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.

01,0002,0003,0004,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°F·days)
Jan0
Feb0
Mar17
Apr218
May454
Jun662
Jul792
Aug753
Sep553
Oct247
Nov10
Dec0

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Lenoir receives about 4.3 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 2.2 and 6.1 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.3 months, from around Mar 14 to Sep 20. The brightest month is June, averaging about 6.1 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is December, down near 2.3 kWh/m² — roughly 63% less than the June peak.

01234567JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseJun 236.1 kWhDec 202.2 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan2.6Moderate
Feb3.3Moderate
Mar4.4Bright
Apr5.5Bright
May5.9Bright
Jun6.1Intense
Jul5.8Bright
Aug5.3Bright
Sep4.5Bright
Oct3.7Moderate
Nov2.8Moderate
Dec2.3Moderate

Where is Lenoir?

Lenoir sits at 35.9°N, 81.5°W, 1,171 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Morganton, 14 mi away.

Topography around Lenoir

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Lenoir has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 423 ft around an average of 1,198 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,791 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,112 ft.

The land around Lenoir is covered by trees (69%) within 2 miles, trees (84%) within 10 miles, and trees (82%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
423 ft
10 miles
1,791 ft
50 miles
6,112 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Nearby: Morganton 14 mi · Hickory 17 mi · Boone 22 mi · Statesville 38 mi · Shelby 43 mi · Mooresville 47 mi · Cornelius 48 mi · Gastonia 49 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 Lenoir (35.914°, -81.539°, elevation 1,171 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).