Sanford in Fall
In fall (September, October and November), Sanford sees average daytime highs around 72°F and overnight lows near 53°F, with 11.1 in of rain over about 25 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.
Over the season highs ease from about 85°F in early September to 59°F by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.
Fall is Sanford's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Sanford's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 72°F
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 53°F
- Rainfall
- 11.1 in
- 25 wet days
- Avg wind
- 6 mph
- Travel score
- 6.4
- best season of the year
- Months
- Sep · Oct · Nov
Temperature in Sanford in Fall
Over the season highs ease from about 85°F in early September to 59°F by late November.
A typical fall day in Sanford reaches about 72°F and drops to 53°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.
How fall really feels in Sanford
Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F.
fall sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Sanford weather by month
How the three fall months (September, October and November) 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 | 52° / 34° | 3.6 | 9 | 1.1 | 9.9 | 2.9 |
| Feb | 55° / 36° | 3.1 | 9 | 1.1 | 10.7 | 3.7 |
| Mar | 63° / 43° | 4.0 | 10.4 | 0.4 | 11.7 | 5.6 |
| Apr | 72° / 52° | 3.4 | 8.7 | 0 | 12.9 | 6.9 |
| May | 79° / 60° | 3.4 | 10.1 | 0 | 13.8 | 6.6 |
| Jun | 86° / 68° | 4.2 | 12.2 | 0 | 14.3 | 4.7 |
| Jul | 89° / 72° | 4.3 | 14.7 | 0 | 14.2 | 3.7 |
| Aug | 87° / 70° | 4.5 | 12.9 | 0 | 13.3 | 4.4 |
| Sep | 81° / 64° | 4.8 | 10.1 | 0 | 12.2 | 6.2 |
| Oct | 72° / 53° | 3.1 | 7.2 | 0 | 11.1 | 7.3 |
| Nov | 62° / 42° | 3.2 | 7.8 | 0.1 | 10.1 | 5.8 |
| Dec | 55° / 37° | 3.5 | 8.9 | 0.5 | 9.6 | 3.6 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Sanford gets around 11.1 in of rain over 25 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 6 mph across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min in early September to 9 h 48 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Fall
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 3.7 kWh/m².
Is fall a good time to visit Sanford?
Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
fall is a reasonable time to visit Sanford for sightseeing.
What to pack for Sanford in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Sanford sees daytime highs around 72°F and nights near 53°F. Pack light clothes. Worth having: a warm layer and rain gear. About 25 days see rain.
UV index in Sanford in Fall
Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sanford 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 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 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 | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | High |
| Oct | 5 | Moderate |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Moderate |
Air quality in Sanford in Fall
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where fall falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Sanford is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (December, 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 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 9 | 8 |
| Level | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Good |
| Feb | 11 | Good |
| Mar | 14 | Moderate |
| Apr | 13 | Moderate |
| May | 13 | Moderate |
| Jun | 16 | Moderate |
| Jul | 18 | Moderate |
| Aug | 17 | Moderate |
| Sep | 15 | Moderate |
| Oct | 13 | Moderate |
| Nov | 9 | Good |
| Dec | 8 | Good |
Where is Sanford?
Sanford sits at 35.5°N, 79.2°W, 358 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Fuquay-Varina, 22 mi away.
Topography around Sanford
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Sanford.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Sanford has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 253 ft around an average of 384 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 466 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,227 ft.
The land around Sanford is covered by trees (73%) within 2 miles, trees (78%) within 10 miles, and trees (77%) 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 Sanford (35.4799°, -79.1803°, elevation 358 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.