Winston-Salem weather in August

In August, Winston-Salem sees average daytime highs of 86°F and overnight lows near 69°F, with 3.6 in of rain across 11.8 wet days and about 13.4 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 7th-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 30% of the time in August, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of August to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Winston-Salem's 8th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Winston-Salem's year-round climate.

Daytime high
86°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
69°
11th coldest
Rainfall
3.6 in
11.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 24 min
5:44 AM – 7:07 PM
Cloud cover
58%
8th clearest
Wind
4 mph
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.37 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.7
out of 10

Winston-Salem is city in and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
696/km²
people per km²
Founded
1766

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 Winston-Salem 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 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)
18870
28770
38770
48770
58770
68770
78770
88770
98770
108769
118769
128769
138769
148769
158769
168769
178669
188669
198669
208669
218669
228669
238668
248668
258668
268668
278568
288567
298567
308567
318567

How August really feels in Winston-Salem

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 7 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
7
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.

Winston-Salem weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan49° / 32°3.69.41.59.82.1
Feb53° / 34°3.38.91.510.63.0
Mar61° / 40°4.3100.811.75.1
Apr70° / 49°3.69.5012.96.6
May78° / 58°3.311013.96.6
Jun85° / 66°3.612.1014.44.9
Jul88° / 70°3.714.1014.23.9
Aug86° / 69°3.611.8013.44.7
Sep80° / 62°4.09012.26.5
Oct70° / 50°3.37.3011.17.1
Nov60° / 40°3.37.70.110.15.2
Dec52° / 34°3.790.69.62.8

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 23% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24852
34951
44852
54951
64951
75050
85149
95149
105149
115248
125248
135347
145347
155347
165347
175446
185446
195446
205446
215446
225545
235446
245446
255446
265347
275347
285347
295347
305347
315347

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Winston-Salem gets around 3.6 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
741
841
941
1041
1141
1241
1341
1440
1540
1640
1739
1838
1938
2037
2136
2236
2336
2435
2535
2634
2734
2834
2933
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 44% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 67% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
146184330
247184229
347184229
447184228
547194228
648194128
748194128
848194029
948194029
1048194029
1148194029
1248194029
1348194128
1438204128
1538204227
1638204226
1739204325
1839204424
1939204523
2039204621
21310204720
22310214819
23310214818
24310214817
25411214816
26411224816
27412224715
28512224615
29513234514
30613234414
31614234314

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
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 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 66 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:31 AM to 5:56 AM, and sunset from 7:23 PM to 6:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.95:317:23
213.85:327:22
313.85:337:21
413.85:347:20
513.75:357:19
613.75:357:18
713.75:367:17
813.65:377:16
913.65:387:15
1013.65:397:14
1113.55:407:12
1213.55:407:11
1313.55:417:10
1413.45:427:09
1513.45:437:08
1613.45:447:07
1713.35:447:05
1813.35:457:04
1913.35:467:03
2013.25:477:01
2113.25:487:00
2213.25:496:59
2313.15:496:57
2413.15:506:56
2513.15:516:55
2613.05:526:53
2713.05:536:52
2813.05:536:51
2912.95:546:49
3012.95:556:48
3112.85:566:46

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.37 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.24 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in June across the year — August's 5.37 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Winston-Salem?

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

4.7
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
6.5
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Winston-Salem in August

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

In August, Winston-Salem sees daytime highs around 86°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 Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem peaks around July 13 at about 10 (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 10Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem?

Winston-Salem sits at 36.1°N, 80.2°W, 961 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Clemmons, 9.3 mi away.

Topography around Winston-Salem

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Winston-Salem has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 269 ft around an average of 879 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 554 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,593 ft.

The land around Winston-Salem is covered by trees (51%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 2 miles, trees (68%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (76%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
269 ft
10 miles
554 ft
50 miles
3,593 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
August weather nearby: Clemmons 9.3 mi · Kernersville 9.3 mi · High Point 17 mi · Thomasville 17 mi · Lexington 19 mi · Greensboro 25 mi · Salisbury 32 mi · Asheboro 36 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 Winston-Salem (36.0999°, -80.2442°, elevation 961 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).