Chapel Hill (NC) Temperature by Month
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America has an average annual maximum temperature of 22°C (72°F), ranging from 10°C (50°F) in January to 32°C (90°F) in July. Below you'll find a full monthly breakdown and a comparison with cities worldwide.
Chapel Hill Monthly Temperatures
The climate in Chapel Hill is dynamic, ranging widely from chilly in winter to very warm in summer. Nights are significantly colder, with lows dropping from 20°C (68°F) in July to -1°C (30°F) in January.
The chart below illustrates the average maximum day and minimum night temperatures in Chapel Hill by month:
Low temperatures are most often recorded between 4 AM and 6 AM, while highs typically occur around 3 PM. July, the city's warmest month, sees 259 hours of sunshine.
The chart below shows the average temperature throughout the year:
Temperature: Chapel Hill vs the United States of America
The map below shows the annual temperature across the United States of America. You can also select individual months if you want to compare a specific time of year.
very warm
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moderate
cold
very cold
Chapel Hill vs World: Temperature Compared
Chapel Hill's average annual maximum temperature is 22°C (72°F). To put that in context, here's how it compares to a few well-known destinations:
Rome, Italy averages 20°C (68°F) annually, with reliably warm summers and comfortable winters.
Interlaken, Switzerland averages 8°C (46°F) a year, with cold winters and cool summers thanks to its Alpine setting.
Boston, USA averages 16°C (61°F) annually, with four distinct seasons and cold winters that rival northern Europe.
Perth, Australia averages 25°C (77°F) annually, with a classic Mediterranean climate — hot dry summers and mild wet winters.
What Does the Temperature Feel Like in Chapel Hill?
Temperature alone doesn't tell the whole story — humidity plays a big role in how warm or cold it actually feels. High humidity in summer makes the heat feel more intense, particularly once temperatures climb above 25°C. In winter, the same humidity can make cold air feel sharper than the thermometer suggests.
In the cooler months, when temperatures drop below 10°C, high humidity makes the cold feel more cutting than it would in dry conditions.
In Chapel Hill, January is the coolest month, with average highs of 10°C (50°F) and humidity around 66% — considered high. In July, the warmest month, temperatures average 32°C (90°F) with 76% humidity — conditions that feel high. For a full picture, see our humidity page.
Climate temperature data is typically calculated as a 30-year average. This smooths out year-to-year variability and gives a more reliable picture of what a place is actually like, rather than what happened in any single unusual year.
The readings come from a range of sources — land-based weather stations, ocean buoys, ships, and satellites. That data is collected by weather services around the world, then pooled, quality-checked, and averaged to produce the climate records you see here.
Whether a city sits on the coast or deep inland makes a significant difference to its climate. Coastal areas tend to have more stable temperatures year-round — large bodies of water absorb heat slowly in summer and release it gradually in winter, keeping extremes in check. Cities far from the sea don't benefit from that buffer, which is why continental climates tend to have hotter summers and colder winters than their coastal counterparts at the same latitude.
For more on Chapel Hill's weather — including monthly rainfall, sunshine hours, and humidity — visit our Chapel Hill climate page.
