Charlotte, North Carolina Weather
Thunder quiets the land. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Charlotte weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 5:41 AM EDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Clear17%—91°69°—
- TuesdaySep 22Clear79%—85°72°-6°
- WednesdaySep 23Drizzle72%0.01″72°59°-13°
- ThursdaySep 24Drizzle44%0.07″69°58°-3°
- FridaySep 25Clear——76°54°+7°
- SaturdaySep 26Overcast——81°56°+5°
- SundaySep 27Overcast——79°56°-2°
Air quality now AQI 56 · Moderate
AQI 56 (Moderate), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 16.8 µg/m³ (AQI 65) with a 0.97 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
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 16.8 µg/m³ (AQI 65) with a 0.97 fine-to-coarse ratio and 4 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.97
- 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
- 4:43 PM
- Moonset
- 1:58 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder quiets the land
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Charlotte at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 80°F (high 91°F, low 69°F), 9°F above the 71°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: March 30 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 12 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
15-Day Forecast — Charlotte
- Mon91°69°17%
- Tue85°72°79%
- Wed72°59°72%
- Thu69°58°44%
- Fri76°54°3%
- Sat81°56°2%
- Sun79°56°2%
- Mon81°59°5%
- Tue82°64°6%
- Wed82°66°21%
- Thu84°62°14%
- Fri78°59°13%
- Sat81°60°16%
- Sun69°64°16%
- Mon79°66°25%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Charlotte
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Charlotte — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Fall planting + final harvests
As of September 21, the season's first frost (typically November 3) is approaching. Pick what frost-tender plants still carry before the next cold front. This city's planting calendar for September: plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Charlotte
SPC has placed Charlotte in the Marginal Risk category for severe thunderstorms today.
- TODAYMRGLMarginal Risk
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- 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 Charlotte
Charlotte sits in Mecklenburg County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 32m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 47m — a swing of +4h 45m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Charlotte is the state’s largest city. The nearest town Charlotte tracks is Concord, roughly 17 miles to the NE.
Air quality in Charlotte
Air quality in Charlotte’s county has trended dirtier since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2020 (median AQI 46). See the full air-quality history for Charlotte.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| March | lettuce, peas, spinach, 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 | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| November | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
Charlotte peaks at about 80°F in July and bottoms near 42°F in January; August brings the heaviest rain (4.3 inches) and February the least (3.1 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 3.5″ | 7 |
| February | 46° | 3.1″ | 6 |
| March | 53° | 4.0″ | 7 |
| April | 61° | 3.8″ | 6 |
| May | 69° | 3.4″ | 6 |
| June | 77° | 4.0″ | 7 |
| July | 80° | 3.7″ | 6 |
| August | 79° | 4.3″ | 6 |
| September | 73° | 3.7″ | 5 |
| October | 62° | 3.2″ | 4 |
| November | 51° | 3.3″ | 5 |
| December | 45° | 3.6″ | 6 |
Regional context
Similar climates Pineville, NC, Matthews, NC, Mint Hill, NC
Charlotte swings from 42°F in January to 80°F in July (38°F) per NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals; precipitation in Charlotte runs about 43.6 inches on roughly 73 measurable days.
No season owns Charlotte's rain: August reaches 4.3 inches across 6.3 days and February keeps 3.1 inches on 6.4, an even spread through Charlotte's year. That lines Charlotte up with places like Pineville, NC, Matthews, NC and Mint Hill, NC, fed by overlapping storm tracks.
Charlotte reaches its last hard frost near March 30; that is the cue for peas, lettuce, spinach, and radishes. Tomatoes and peppers do best set out two weeks later in Charlotte, once nights clear the mid-40s°F. The season ends by November 3 in Charlotte, once hard frosts set back in. Open lawns in Charlotte whiten first when frost returns.
Similar climates: Pineville, NC, Matthews, NC, Mint Hill, NC, Stallings, NC, Belmont, NC.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Charlotte?
- Charlotte's last spring frost lands near March 30, and in Charlotte the first fall frost follows around November 3.
- What is the rainy season in Charlotte?
- August is the wettest month in Charlotte, about 4.3 inches on average; the year totals roughly 44 inches.
- What is the warmest month in Charlotte?
- Charlotte peaks in July, when the mean runs near 80°F.
- What is the coldest month in Charlotte?
- January is Charlotte's coldest month, averaging about 42°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Charlotte?
- In Charlotte, sow peas and hardy greens around March 30; Charlotte's tomatoes and peppers wait two weeks more.
- How many rainy days does Charlotte get?
- Expect roughly 73 wet days a year in Charlotte.
- What hardiness zone is Charlotte?
- Because Charlotte bottoms near 42°F in January, that winter low sets Charlotte's USDA zone — verify by ZIP.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Charlotte?
- Charlotte'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 Charlotte?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Charlotte in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Charlotte?
- Current conditions for Charlotte and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Charlotte forecast updated?
- The Charlotte forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Charlotte?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Charlotte 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 Charlotte?
- The next few days in Charlotte's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Charlotte sits at 35.2°N; its climate zone is humid subtropical (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Charlotte
- 28105
- 28126
- 28130
- 28134
- 28201
- 28202
- 28203
- 28204
- 28205
- 28206
- 28207
- 28208
- 28209
- 28210
- 28211
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- 28265
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- 28269
- 28270
- 28271
- 28272
- 28273
- 28274
- 28275
- 28277
- 28278
- 28280
- 28281
- 28282
- 28284
- 28285
- 28287
- 28288
- 28289
- 28290
- 28296
- 28297
- 28299