Shelby in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Shelby sees average daytime highs around 53°F and overnight lows near 35°F, with 11.5 in of precipitation over about 28 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 53°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Shelby's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Shelby's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 53°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 35°F
- Precipitation
- 11.5 in
- 28 wet days
- Avg wind
- 6 mph
- Travel score
- 3.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Shelby in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 53°F.
A typical winter day in Shelby reaches about 53°F and drops to 35°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Shelby
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 76 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Shelby weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) 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 | 51° / 33° | 4.0 | 9.6 | 1.3 | 9.9 | 2.5 |
| Feb | 55° / 36° | 3.5 | 8.9 | 1.1 | 10.7 | 3.4 |
| Mar | 62° / 42° | 4.5 | 10.1 | 0.4 | 11.7 | 5.4 |
| Apr | 71° / 51° | 3.8 | 9 | 0 | 12.9 | 6.8 |
| May | 78° / 59° | 3.0 | 10 | 0 | 13.8 | 6.7 |
| Jun | 85° / 67° | 3.7 | 13 | 0 | 14.3 | 4.8 |
| Jul | 89° / 71° | 3.8 | 14.4 | 0 | 14.1 | 3.9 |
| Aug | 86° / 69° | 3.8 | 12.7 | 0 | 13.3 | 4.6 |
| Sep | 81° / 63° | 3.6 | 9.2 | 0 | 12.2 | 6.4 |
| Oct | 71° / 51° | 3.3 | 6.9 | 0 | 11.1 | 7.3 |
| Nov | 61° / 41° | 3.6 | 7.7 | 0 | 10.1 | 5.4 |
| Dec | 53° / 35° | 4.0 | 9 | 0.6 | 9.7 | 3.1 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Shelby gets around 11.5 in of rain and snow over 28 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 6 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min in early December to 11 h 06 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.7 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Shelby?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Shelby.
What to pack for Shelby in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Shelby sees daytime highs around 53°F and nights near 35°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 28 days see rain.
UV index in Shelby in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 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 | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | High |
| Oct | 5 | Moderate |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Moderate |
Air quality in Shelby in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 9 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
| Level | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | Good |
| Feb | 11 | Good |
| Mar | 13 | Moderate |
| Apr | 12 | Moderate |
| May | 14 | Moderate |
| Jun | 17 | Moderate |
| Jul | 19 | Moderate |
| Aug | 17 | Moderate |
| Sep | 13 | Moderate |
| Oct | 10 | Good |
| Nov | 10 | Good |
| Dec | 9 | Good |
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.
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 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.