Sanford weather in February

In February, Sanford sees average daytime highs of 55°F and overnight lows near 36°F, with 3.1 in of precipitation across 9 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 53°F in the first days to 58°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in February, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 12 min at the start of February to 11 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, February is Sanford's 8th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sanford's year-round climate.

Daytime high
55°
10th warmest
Overnight low
36°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
3.1 in
9 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
7:11 AM – 5:51 PM
Cloud cover
58%
8th clearest
Wind
7 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
3.32 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Sanford is human settlement in Lee County, North Carolina, United States of America.

Density
418/km²
people per km²

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

Temperature in February

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 53°F in the first days to 58°F by the end.

A typical February day in Sanford reaches about 55°F in the afternoon and slips back to 36°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 42°F and 69°F. Set against its neighbours, February runs about 3°F warmer than January and about 8°F cooler than March.

20°40°60°80°151015202528
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15334
25334
35334
45335
55335
65435
75435
85435
95435
105435
115536
125536
135536
145536
155537
165637
175637
185637
195637
205637
215738
225738
235738
245838
255838
265838
275839
285939

How February really feels in Sanford

Once humidity and wind are folded in, February averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 20 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
20
wind chill below the day's low

The story in February is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Sanford weather by month

How February compares with the rest of the year at a glance. February is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan52° / 34°3.691.19.92.9
Feb55° / 36°3.191.110.73.7
Mar63° / 43°4.010.40.411.75.6
Apr72° / 52°3.48.7012.96.9
May79° / 60°3.410.1013.86.6
Jun86° / 68°4.212.2014.34.7
Jul89° / 72°4.314.7014.23.7
Aug87° / 70°4.512.9013.34.4
Sep81° / 64°4.810.1012.26.2
Oct72° / 53°3.17.2011.17.3
Nov62° / 42°3.27.80.110.15.8
Dec55° / 37°3.58.90.59.63.6

Cloud cover in February

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in February.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of February, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35050
45050
55050
65050
75050
85050
95050
105050
115050
125050
135050
144951
154951
164852
174852
184753
194753
204753
214654
224852
234753
244852
254852
264852
274951
285050

Chance of precipitation in February

Any precipitationSnow

Sanford gets around 3.1 in of rain and snow over 9 wet days in February. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 32% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202528
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1293
2293
3293
4303
5313
6314
7324
8324
9324
10334
11334
12334
13334
14334
15334
16334
17334
18334
19334
20334
21334
22334
23334
24334
25334
26333
27333
28333

Humidity in February

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, February lands in the dry band about 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19721
29721
39721
49721
59721
69721
79721
89631
99631
109631
119631
129631
139631
149631
159631
169631
179631
189541
199541
209541
219541
229541
239541
249451
259451
269451
279451
289451

Wind in February

Winds average 7 mph in February.

Across February, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202528
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm

Sunrise & sunset in February

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 12 min at the start of February to 11 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over February. Sunrise moves from 7:23 AM to 6:56 AM, and sunset from 5:37 PM to 6:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202528
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.27:235:37
210.37:235:38
310.37:225:39
410.37:215:40
510.37:205:41
610.47:205:42
710.47:195:43
810.47:185:44
910.57:175:45
1010.57:165:46
1110.57:155:47
1210.67:145:48
1310.67:135:49
1410.67:125:50
1510.77:115:51
1610.77:105:52
1710.77:095:53
1810.87:085:54
1910.87:075:55
2010.87:065:56
2110.97:055:57
2210.97:045:58
2310.97:035:59
2411.07:016:00
2511.07:006:01
2611.16:596:02
2711.16:586:03
2811.16:566:04

Solar energy in February

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in February, about 3.32 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.28 kWh/m² to a high of 6.18 kWh/m² in June across the year — February's 3.32 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202528
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.0Moderate
23.0Moderate
33.0Moderate
43.1Moderate
53.1Moderate
63.1Moderate
73.1Moderate
83.2Moderate
93.2Moderate
103.2Moderate
113.2Moderate
123.3Moderate
133.3Moderate
143.3Moderate
153.3Moderate
163.4Moderate
173.4Moderate
183.4Moderate
193.4Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.5Moderate
233.6Moderate
243.6Moderate
253.7Moderate
263.7Moderate
273.8Moderate
283.8Moderate
Planning a trip in February

Is February a good time to visit Sanford?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

February is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sanford.

What to pack for Sanford in February

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

In February, Sanford sees daytime highs around 55°F and nights near 36°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Sanford in February

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in February peaks around 4 — 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Sanford in February

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where February 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).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1918 µg/m³Dec 188 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb11Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

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.

2 miles
253 ft
10 miles
466 ft
50 miles
1,227 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
February weather nearby: Fuquay-Varina 22 mi · Holly Springs 23 mi · Apex 25 mi · Fort Bragg 25 mi · Pinehurst 25 mi · Carrboro 30 mi · Chapel Hill 30 mi · Morrisville 31 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 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. 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).