Morganton in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Morganton sees average daytime highs around 51°F and overnight lows near 33°F, with 11.9 in of precipitation over about 28 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 51°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Morganton's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Morganton's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 51°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 33°F
- Precipitation
- 11.9 in
- 28 wet days
- Avg wind
- 5 mph
- Travel score
- 2.5
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Morganton in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 51°F.
A typical winter day in Morganton reaches about 51°F and drops to 33°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Morganton
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.
Morganton 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 | 49° / 31° | 4.3 | 9.9 | 1.7 | 9.9 | 2.0 |
| Feb | 52° / 33° | 3.5 | 8.9 | 1.8 | 10.6 | 2.9 |
| Mar | 60° / 39° | 4.6 | 10.8 | 0.7 | 11.7 | 4.9 |
| Apr | 69° / 47° | 4.2 | 9.4 | 0 | 12.9 | 6.5 |
| May | 76° / 56° | 3.5 | 10.2 | 0 | 13.9 | 6.8 |
| Jun | 82° / 64° | 3.4 | 11.8 | 0 | 14.4 | 5.7 |
| Jul | 86° / 67° | 3.4 | 12.9 | 0 | 14.2 | 4.8 |
| Aug | 84° / 66° | 3.5 | 11.4 | 0 | 13.4 | 5.3 |
| Sep | 79° / 60° | 4.0 | 9.1 | 0 | 12.2 | 6.9 |
| Oct | 69° / 49° | 3.7 | 7.7 | 0 | 11.1 | 7.0 |
| Nov | 59° / 39° | 3.7 | 8.2 | 0.1 | 10.1 | 4.9 |
| Dec | 51° / 33° | 4.1 | 9.1 | 0.9 | 9.6 | 2.6 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Morganton gets around 11.9 in of rain and snow over 28 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 5 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min in early December to 11 h 06 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 2.7 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Morganton?
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 Morganton.
What to pack for Morganton in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Morganton sees daytime highs around 51°F and nights near 33°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 28 days see rain.
UV index in Morganton in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Morganton peaks around July 13 at about 10 (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 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 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 | 6 | High |
| Apr | 7 | High |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | High |
| Oct | 5 | Moderate |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Moderate |
Air quality in Morganton 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 Morganton 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 7 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Good |
| Feb | 9 | Good |
| Mar | 11 | Good |
| Apr | 11 | Good |
| May | 13 | Moderate |
| Jun | 15 | Moderate |
| Jul | 18 | Moderate |
| Aug | 15 | Moderate |
| Sep | 12 | Good |
| Oct | 8 | Good |
| Nov | 8 | Good |
| Dec | 7 | Good |
Where is Morganton?
Morganton sits at 35.7°N, 81.7°W, 1,155 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Lenoir, 14 mi away.
Topography around Morganton
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Morganton.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Morganton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 ft around an average of 1,122 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,034 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,145 ft.
The land around Morganton is covered by trees (64%) within 2 miles, trees (83%) within 10 miles, and trees (84%) 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 Morganton (35.7454°, -81.6848°, elevation 1,155 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.