Cary, North Carolina Weather
Thunder quiets the land. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Cary weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 1:50 AM EDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Clear28%—93°69°—
- TuesdaySep 22Partly Cloudy77%0.02″85°67°-8°
- WednesdaySep 23Showers59%0.19″67°60°-18°
- ThursdaySep 24Foggy45%—71°58°+4°
- FridaySep 25Clear——74°53°+3°
- SaturdaySep 26Mostly Clear——79°50°+5°
- SundaySep 27Overcast——78°53°-1°
Air quality now AQI 45 · Good
AQI 45 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 7.5 µg/m³ (AQI 42) with a 0.82 fine-to-coarse ratio and 4 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 30 now. With UV 3.3 peaking around 1 PM under partly cloudy skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 9.
- Present
- AQI 30
- UV peak
- 3.3 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- partly cloudy
- Projected peak
- AQI 9
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 7.5 µg/m³ (AQI 42) with a 0.82 fine-to-coarse ratio and 4 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.82
- Wind
- calm
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- stagnant smoke
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- 4:36 PM
- Moonset
- 1:48 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder quiets the land
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Cary at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 81°F (high 93°F, low 69°F), 10°F above the 71°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: March 27 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 5 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
15-Day Forecast — Cary
- Mon93°69°28%
- Tue85°67°77%
- Wed67°60°59%
- Thu71°58°45%
- Fri74°53°9%
- Sat79°50°3%
- Sun78°53°1%
- Mon75°62°1%
- Tue76°61°6%
- Wed82°60°18%
- Thu80°59°15%
- Fri75°55°11%
- Sat79°55°16%
- Sun72°59°30%
- Mon82°58°27%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Cary
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Cary — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Late season
As of September 21, the first frost (around November 8) is about 7 weeks away. Frost-tender plants keep producing until then. This city's planting calendar for September: harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Cary
SPC has placed Cary in the Marginal Risk category for severe thunderstorms tomorrow.
- TODAYNONENo severe risk
- TOMORROWMRGLMarginal Risk
- DAY 3TSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
Isolated severe storms possible. Limited threat for hail or damaging wind.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook.
Sun & seasons in Cary
Cary sits in Wake County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 35m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 44m — a swing of +4h 51m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Charlotte, the state’s largest city, lies about 120 miles to the WSW. The nearest town Cary tracks is Raleigh, roughly 10 miles to the ENE.
Air quality in Cary
Air quality in Cary’s county has held roughly steady since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2025 (median AQI 43). See the full air-quality history for Cary.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| March | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | radishes |
| April | lettuce, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, spinach, radishes |
| May | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| June | beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, garlic |
| August | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| September | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| November | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| December | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
Cary peaks at about 80°F in July and bottoms near 42°F in January; September brings the heaviest rain (5.7 inches) and February the least (2.9 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 3.6″ | 7 |
| February | 44° | 2.9″ | 6 |
| March | 51° | 4.2″ | 7 |
| April | 61° | 3.6″ | 6 |
| May | 69° | 4.0″ | 6 |
| June | 77° | 4.9″ | 7 |
| July | 80° | 4.7″ | 7 |
| August | 79° | 4.7″ | 7 |
| September | 73° | 5.7″ | 6 |
| October | 62° | 3.9″ | 5 |
| November | 52° | 3.5″ | 5 |
| December | 45° | 3.7″ | 6 |
Regional context
Similar climates Morrisville, NC, Apex, NC, Holly Springs, NC
By the nearest station's NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals, Cary sees 42°F Januarys and 80°F Julys, a 39°F range, plus around 49.4 inches of precipitation across 74 days.
No season owns Cary's rain: September reaches 5.7 inches across 5.9 days and February keeps 2.9 inches on 6.0, an even spread through Cary's year. It is a balanced pattern Cary shares with places like Morrisville, NC, Apex, NC and Holly Springs, NC.
The cool-season window in Cary starts at March 27, when nights stop freezing — think peas, lettuce, spinach, and radishes. In Cary, warm-season transplants — tomatoes, peppers, basil — wait two weeks past Cary's frost date. Around November 8, freezing nights resume in Cary and tender crops must come in. Sheltered Cary yards can escape a light frost.
Similar climates: Morrisville, NC, Apex, NC, Holly Springs, NC, Raleigh, NC, Carolina Meadows, NC.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Cary?
- In Cary, expect the last spring frost near March 27; Cary's first autumn frost comes around November 8.
- What is the rainy season in Cary?
- September is the wettest month in Cary, about 5.7 inches on average; the year totals roughly 49 inches.
- What is the warmest month in Cary?
- July is Cary's warmest month, averaging about 80°F.
- What is the coldest month in Cary?
- Cary bottoms out in January, with a mean near 42°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Cary?
- Time tomatoes in Cary for two weeks after March 27; peas and greens start at Cary's frost line.
- How many rainy days does Cary get?
- Expect roughly 74 wet days a year in Cary.
- What hardiness zone is Cary?
- Cary sits in the USDA zone set by January lows near 42°F; the USDA ZIP tool gives the band.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Cary?
- Cary's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Cary?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Cary in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Cary?
- Current conditions for Cary and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Cary forecast updated?
- The Cary forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Cary?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Cary are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Cary?
- The next few days in Cary's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Cary sits at 35.8°N; its climate zone is humid subtropical (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Cary
- 27511
- 27512
- 27513
- 27518
- 27519
- 27560