Salisbury weather in August

In August, Salisbury sees average daytime highs of 87°F and overnight lows near 69°F, with 3.5 in of rain across 11.8 wet days and about 13.3 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 8th-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 30% of the time in August, and the air most often feels muggy.

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 Salisbury's 8th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Salisbury's year-round climate.

Daytime high
87°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
69°
11th coldest
Rainfall
3.5 in
11.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 24 min
5:45 AM – 7:07 PM
Cloud cover
58%
8th clearest
Wind
4 mph
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.4 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Salisbury is city in Rowan County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
591/km²
people per km²
Founded
1763

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 Salisbury reaches about 87°F in the afternoon and slips back to 69°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 79°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
38771
48770
58770
68770
78770
88770
98770
108770
118770
128770
138770
148770
158770
168770
178770
188769
198769
208669
218669
228669
238669
248669
258669
268669
278668
288668
298568
308568
318567

How August really feels in Salisbury

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 15 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
15
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.

Salisbury weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan50° / 32°3.69.51.39.92.3
Feb53° / 35°3.38.91.310.63.2
Mar61° / 41°4.210.10.511.75.2
Apr71° / 50°3.69.2012.96.7
May78° / 59°3.210.7013.96.6
Jun85° / 67°3.612014.44.8
Jul89° / 71°3.613.8014.23.9
Aug87° / 69°3.511.8013.34.6
Sep81° / 63°3.89.1012.26.4
Oct71° / 51°3.37.1011.17.2
Nov60° / 41°3.37.70.110.15.3
Dec52° / 35°3.78.90.69.63.0

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% 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 49%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24852
34852
44852
54852
64852
74852
84852
94951
105050
114951
125050
135050
145149
155149
165149
175248
185248
195248
205347
215347
225347
235347
245347
255347
265347
275347
285347
295347
305347
315446

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Salisbury gets around 3.5 in of rain over 11.8 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 38% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
143
243
343
442
542
642
742
841
941
1041
1141
1241
1341
1441
1540
1640
1739
1838
1938
2037
2137
2236
2335
2435
2534
2634
2734
2833
2933
3032
3132

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the muggy band about 42% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 70% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
126154136
236164135
336164135
436164034
536174034
636174034
737173934
837173934
937183934
1037183934
1136183934
1236183934
1336183934
1436183934
1536183933
1637194032
1737194131
1837194130
1937194229
2038204327
2138204426
2238204525
2338204623
2439204622
2539214621
26410214620
27410214519
28411224519
29511224418
30512234317
31613234217

Wind in August

Winds average 4 mph in August, the calmest month.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
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 5:33 AM to 5:57 AM, and sunset from 7:23 PM to 6:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:337:23
213.85:347:22
313.85:357:21
413.75:367:20
513.75:367:19
613.75:377:18
713.65:387:17
813.65:397:16
913.65:407:15
1013.65:407:14
1113.55:417:13
1213.55:427:11
1313.55:437:10
1413.45:447:09
1513.45:447:08
1613.45:457:07
1713.35:467:06
1813.35:477:04
1913.35:487:03
2013.25:487:02
2113.25:497:01
2213.25:506:59
2313.15:516:58
2413.15:526:57
2513.05:526:55
2613.05:536:54
2713.05:546:52
2812.95:556:51
2912.95:566:50
3012.95:566:48
3112.85:576:47

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.26 kWh/m² to a high of 6.19 kWh/m² in June across the year — August's 5.4 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Salisbury?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
6.5
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Salisbury in August

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

In August, Salisbury sees daytime highs around 87°F and nights near 69°F. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Salisbury in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Salisbury peaks around July 13 at about 9 (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 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Salisbury 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 Salisbury is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1718 µg/m³Dec 138 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Salisbury?

Salisbury sits at 35.7°N, 80.5°W, 768 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Kannapolis, 15 mi away.

Topography around Salisbury

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Salisbury has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 180 ft around an average of 725 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 584 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,474 ft.

The land around Salisbury is covered by trees (57%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 2 miles, trees (64%) and grassland (23%) within 10 miles, and trees (73%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
180 ft
10 miles
584 ft
50 miles
2,474 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
August weather nearby: Kannapolis 15 mi · Lexington 16 mi · Concord 19 mi · Mooresville 20 mi · Statesville 24 mi · Clemmons 25 mi · Cornelius 25 mi · Thomasville 26 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 Salisbury (35.671°, -80.4742°, elevation 768 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).