New Bern weather in August

In August, New Bern sees average daytime highs of 85°F and overnight lows near 73°F, with 7.7 in of rain across 17.7 wet days and about 13.3 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 85°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% 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 New Bern's 10th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see New Bern's year-round climate.

Daytime high
85°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
73°
11th coldest
Rainfall
7.7 in
17.7 wet days
Daylight
13 h 18 min
5:32 AM – 6:52 PM
Cloud cover
63%
10th clearest
Wind
5 mph
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.4
out of 10

New Bern is county seat of Craven County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
391/km²
people per km²
Founded
1710

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 85°F through the month.

A typical August day in New Bern reaches about 85°F in the afternoon and slips back to 73°F overnight — a 12°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 80°F and 90°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 1°F cooler than July and about 5°F warmer than September.

60°70°80°90°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18674
28674
38674
48574
58573
68573
78573
88573
98573
108573
118573
128573
138573
148573
158573
168573
178573
188573
198573
208572
218572
228472
238472
248472
258472
268472
278472
288471
298471
308371
318371

How August really feels in New Bern

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 25 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
25
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.

New Bern weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan53° / 38°3.89.10.79.93.2
Feb56° / 40°3.390.610.73.8
Mar62° / 46°3.79.60.111.75.5
Apr70° / 54°3.38.6012.96.8
May77° / 63°4.711.3013.86.6
Jun83° / 70°6.316.1014.34.9
Jul86° / 74°7.719.9014.13.8
Aug85° / 73°7.717.7013.34.4
Sep80° / 68°6.513.7012.25.9
Oct72° / 57°4.18.4011.17.0
Nov63° / 47°3.88.1010.25.9
Dec56° / 41°3.69.20.19.74.0

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23961
34060
44060
54159
64060
74159
84159
94258
104357
114357
124456
134456
144555
154555
164555
174555
184753
194654
204753
214753
224753
234852
244852
254753
264852
274753
284753
294753
304753
314852

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

New Bern gets around 7.7 in of rain over 17.7 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 58% and peaks near 64% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
164
263
363
463
562
662
762
862
962
1062
1161
1261
1361
1460
1560
1659
1758
1858
1957
2056
2155
2255
2354
2453
2552
2652
2751
2851
2950
3050
3150

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 54% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 95% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
103115531
203125431
303135430
403145429
504145329
604155328
704165228
804165327
904165327
1004175326
1104175326
1204175326
1304175425
1404175425
1504185424
1604185523
1705185423
1805195422
1905195521
2005195620
2105205619
2205205718
2305215717
2405225617
2505225616
2606235516
2716245415
2816255414
2917265214
3017265313
3117265313

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 6 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
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 5:21 AM to 5:44 AM, and sunset from 7:08 PM to 6:33 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:217:08
213.85:217:07
313.75:227:06
413.75:237:05
513.75:247:04
613.65:257:03
713.65:257:02
813.65:267:01
913.65:277:00
1013.55:286:59
1113.55:286:58
1213.55:296:57
1313.45:306:56
1413.45:316:55
1513.45:326:53
1613.35:326:52
1713.35:336:51
1813.35:346:50
1913.25:356:49
2013.25:356:47
2113.25:366:46
2213.15:376:45
2313.15:386:43
2413.15:396:42
2513.05:396:41
2613.05:406:39
2713.05:416:38
2812.95:426:37
2912.95:426:35
3012.85:436:34
3112.85:446:33

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.25 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.37 kWh/m² to a high of 6.12 kWh/m² in May across the year — August's 5.25 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for New Bern

In seasonPeak

In August, New Bern sits inside its atlantic hurricane season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

New Bern sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is August a good time to visit New Bern?

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

4.4
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.7
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit New Bern for sightseeing.

What to pack for New Bern in August

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

In August, New Bern sees daytime highs around 85°F and nights near 73°F. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near New Bern in August

The nearest coast averages about 82°F in August — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 34 mi away) is warmest in August at about 82°F and coldest in February near 58°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 6 to Nov 13 — about 6.3 months when the water holds above 68°F.

60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan60Cool
Feb58Bracing
Mar60Cool
Apr64Cool
May70Refreshing
Jun77Warm
Jul81Warm
Aug82Warm
Sep80Warm
Oct74Refreshing
Nov67Cool
Dec63Cool

UV index in New Bern 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 New Bern peaks around July 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 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 18UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in New Bern 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 New Bern is worst in June — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 2318 µg/m³Dec 127 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb12Good
Mar17Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct9Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is New Bern?

New Bern sits at 35.1°N, 77.0°W, 10 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Havelock, 18 mi away.

Topography around New Bern

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around New Bern has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 82 ft around an average of 10 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 374 ft.

The land around New Bern is covered by water (39%) and trees (29%) within 2 miles, trees (71%) within 10 miles, and trees (49%) and water (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
82 ft
10 miles
171 ft
50 miles
374 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
August weather nearby: Havelock 18 mi · Kinston 32 mi · Jacksonville 33 mi · Greenville 39 mi · Goldsboro 57 mi · Wilson 65 mi · Rocky Mount 71 mi · Wilmington 79 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 New Bern (35.1085°, -77.0441°, elevation 10 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).