Winston-Salem, North Carolina Weather
Thunder quiets the land. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Winston-Salem weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 12:30 AM EDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Clear later29%—92°67°—
- TuesdaySep 22Rain79%0.20″79°65°-13°
- WednesdaySep 23Light Showers79%0.16″64°57°-15°
- ThursdaySep 24Light Showers51%0.19″58°54°-6°
- FridaySep 25Overcast——74°53°+16°
- SaturdaySep 26Overcast——80°51°+6°
- SundaySep 27Overcast——78°53°-2°
Air quality now AQI 49 · Good
AQI 49 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 10.3 µg/m³ (AQI 53) with a 0.96 fine-to-coarse ratio and 3 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 10.3 µg/m³ (AQI 53) with a 0.96 fine-to-coarse ratio and 3 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.96
- 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
- 1:53 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder quiets the land
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Winston-Salem at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 80°F (high 92°F, low 67°F), 12°F above the 68°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: March 26 (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 — Winston-Salem
- Mon92°67°29%
- Tue79°65°79%
- Wed64°57°79%
- Thu58°54°51%
- Fri74°53°5%
- Sat80°51°3%
- Sun78°53°3%
- Mon80°56°2%
- Tue81°60°8%
- Wed83°61°20%
- Thu87°64°15%
- Fri89°67°10%
- Sat78°63°16%
- Sun76°70°29%
- Mon75°58°26%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Winston-Salem
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Winston-Salem — 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 9) 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 — Winston-Salem
SPC has placed Winston-Salem in the Marginal Risk category for severe thunderstorms tomorrow.
- TODAYTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- 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 Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem sits in Forsyth County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 37m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 42m — a swing of +4h 55m 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 70 miles to the SSW. The nearest town Winston-Salem tracks is High Point, roughly 17 miles to the ESE.
Air quality in Winston-Salem
Air quality in Winston-Salem’s county has held roughly steady since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2020 (median AQI 45). See the full air-quality history for Winston-Salem.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| March | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | radishes |
| April | lettuce, peas, 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, 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 |
| November | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| December | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
Winston-Salem's warmest month is July (~79°F mean) and its coldest is January (~40°F). Rainfall peaks in August (4.5 inches) and bottoms out in February (2.9 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 3.4″ | 6 |
| February | 43° | 2.9″ | 6 |
| March | 50° | 3.6″ | 7 |
| April | 59° | 3.7″ | 7 |
| May | 68° | 3.8″ | 7 |
| June | 75° | 3.6″ | 7 |
| July | 79° | 4.2″ | 8 |
| August | 77° | 4.5″ | 7 |
| September | 71° | 3.9″ | 6 |
| October | 60° | 3.3″ | 5 |
| November | 50° | 3.1″ | 5 |
| December | 43° | 3.3″ | 6 |
Regional context
Similar climates Walkertown, NC, Bethania, NC, Clemmons, NC
Drawing on NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals, Winston-Salem's January averages 40°F and July 79°F — 39°F apart — while precipitation totals roughly 43.2 inches over some 76 days.
Winston-Salem's precipitation spreads evenly across the seasons: August peaks at 4.5 inches on 6.6 wet days, while February holds 2.9 inches over 6.1 — no season dominates Winston-Salem's rain calendar. That even rhythm groups Winston-Salem with places like Walkertown, NC, Bethania, NC and Clemmons, NC.
Winston-Salem's growing window opens around March 26, once Winston-Salem's overnight lows stop freezing — sow peas, lettuce, spinach, and radishes. Warm-soil crops in Winston-Salem wait about two weeks past Winston-Salem's last frost, once the soil warms. It shuts near November 9, when freezes return to Winston-Salem and tender plants need cover. In about half of years, Winston-Salem's last freeze comes after March 26.
Similar climates: Walkertown, NC, Bethania, NC, Clemmons, NC, Rural Hall, NC, Lewisville, NC.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Winston-Salem?
- Winston-Salem's last spring frost lands near March 26, and in Winston-Salem the first fall frost follows around November 9.
- What is the rainy season in Winston-Salem?
- Rainfall in Winston-Salem peaks in August near 4.5 inches, out of about 43 inches annually.
- What is the warmest month in Winston-Salem?
- July is Winston-Salem's warmest month, averaging about 79°F.
- What is the coldest month in Winston-Salem?
- Winston-Salem bottoms out in January, with a mean near 40°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Winston-Salem?
- Winston-Salem's last frost (March 26) cues hardy greens; in Winston-Salem, hold heat-lovers two weeks past.
- How many rainy days does Winston-Salem get?
- Expect roughly 76 wet days a year in Winston-Salem.
- What hardiness zone is Winston-Salem?
- Winston-Salem's hardiness zone tracks its winter low; with January near 40°F, check the USDA ZIP map for the exact zone.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Winston-Salem?
- Winston-Salem'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 Winston-Salem?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Winston-Salem in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Winston-Salem?
- Current conditions for Winston-Salem and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Winston-Salem forecast updated?
- The Winston-Salem forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Winston-Salem?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem?
- The next few days in Winston-Salem's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Winston-Salem sits at 36.1°N; its climate zone is humid subtropical (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Winston-Salem
- 27040
- 27101
- 27102
- 27103
- 27104
- 27105
- 27106
- 27107
- 27108
- 27109
- 27110
- 27111
- 27113
- 27114
- 27115
- 27116
- 27117
- 27120
- 27127
- 27130
- 27150
- 27152
- 27155
- 27157
- 27198
- 27199