Shelby weather in August

In August, Shelby sees average daytime highs of 86°F and overnight lows near 69°F, with 3.8 in of rain across 12.7 wet days and about 13.3 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 86°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 Shelby's 10th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Shelby's year-round climate.

Daytime high
86°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
69°
11th coldest
Rainfall
3.8 in
12.7 wet days
Daylight
13 h 18 min
5:50 AM – 7:10 PM
Cloud cover
59%
10th clearest
Wind
4 mph
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.4 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Shelby is city in and the county seat of Cleveland County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
369/km²
people per km²

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 86°F through the month.

A typical August day in Shelby reaches about 86°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 80°F and 93°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 2°F cooler than July and about 5°F warmer than September.

60°70°80°90°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18871
28771
38770
48770
58770
68770
78770
88770
98770
108770
118770
128770
138770
148770
158770
168770
178770
188669
198669
208669
218669
228669
238669
248669
258669
268669
278668
288568
298568
308568
318568

How August really feels in Shelby

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 17 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
17
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.

Shelby weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan51° / 33°4.09.61.39.92.5
Feb55° / 36°3.58.91.110.73.4
Mar62° / 42°4.510.10.411.75.4
Apr71° / 51°3.89012.96.8
May78° / 59°3.010013.86.7
Jun85° / 67°3.713014.34.8
Jul89° / 71°3.814.4014.13.9
Aug86° / 69°3.812.7013.34.6
Sep81° / 63°3.69.2012.26.4
Oct71° / 51°3.36.9011.17.3
Nov61° / 41°3.67.7010.15.4
Dec53° / 35°4.090.69.73.1

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
34951
44951
54951
64951
75050
85050
94951
104951
114951
125050
134951
145050
155050
165149
175149
185149
195347
205347
215347
225248
235347
245347
255347
265347
275347
285248
295248
305347
315347

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Shelby gets around 3.8 in of rain over 12.7 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 42% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
147
247
347
446
546
646
746
846
946
1046
1146
1246
1345
1445
1544
1643
1743
1842
1941
2040
2139
2238
2337
2436
2536
2635
2735
2834
2934
3033
3133

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 43% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 75% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
115134140
215144139
325144138
425144138
526144138
626144138
726144137
816144137
916144137
1016144137
1116144137
1216144137
1316144137
1416154236
1516154236
1616164235
1716164234
1816174333
1916174332
2016184431
2116184530
2216194529
2316194528
2416194627
2527204526
2627204525
2728204524
2839214424
29310214423
30311214322
31412214221

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 4 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
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

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 5:38 AM to 6:02 AM, and sunset from 7:26 PM to 6:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:387:26
213.85:397:25
313.75:407:24
413.75:417:23
513.75:417:22
613.75:427:21
713.65:437:20
813.65:447:19
913.65:457:18
1013.55:457:17
1113.55:467:16
1213.55:477:15
1313.45:487:14
1413.45:487:13
1513.45:497:12
1613.35:507:10
1713.35:517:09
1813.35:527:08
1913.25:527:07
2013.25:537:06
2113.25:547:04
2213.15:557:03
2313.15:557:02
2413.15:567:00
2513.05:576:59
2613.05:586:58
2713.05:596:56
2812.95:596:55
2912.96:006:53
3012.96:016:52
3112.86:026:51

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 2.29 kWh/m² to a high of 6.21 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
35.7Bright
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 Shelby?

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
6.4
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Shelby in August

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

In August, Shelby sees daytime highs around 86°F and nights near 69°F. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Shelby 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 Shelby peaks around July 12 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 12UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Shelby 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 Shelby is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1719 µg/m³Dec 239 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Shelby?

Shelby sits at 35.3°N, 81.5°W, 860 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Gastonia, 20 mi away.

Topography around Shelby

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Shelby has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 282 ft around an average of 853 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 518 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,705 ft.

The land around Shelby is covered by trees (69%) within 2 miles, trees (60%) and grassland (30%) within 10 miles, and trees (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
282 ft
10 miles
518 ft
50 miles
4,705 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
August weather nearby: Gastonia 20 mi · Hickory 32 mi · Morganton 32 mi · Spartanburg 32 mi · Rock Hill 39 mi · Charlotte 39 mi · Huntersville 40 mi · Cornelius 40 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 Shelby (35.2923°, -81.5357°, elevation 860 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).