Cape Hatteras, NC

North Carolina · Records since 1893–2026

🌤️ 81°F
Currently in Cape Hatteras
As of 1:45 PM EDT

Records for September 7

🔥 Record High

92°F

September 7, 2011

+7° from 85° normal

❄ Record Low

55°F

September 7, 1976

-18° from 73° normal
🌞 Normal high: 85°F 🌑 Normal low: 73°F 1991–2020 normals

All-Time Records — Cape Hatteras

🔥
97°F
Hottest Day Ever
Jun 27, 1952
❄
6°F
Coldest Day Ever
Jan 21, 1985
🌧
14.34"
Wettest Day Ever
Jun 30, 1949
☃
12.0"
Most Snow in One Day
Jan 23, 2003

Top 10 Record Highs — September 7

# Temp Date
🏆 92°F September 7, 2011
2 91°F September 7, 1983
3 90°F September 7, 1985
4 89°F September 7, 1954
5 88°F September 7, 2023
6 88°F September 7, 2018
7 88°F September 7, 1980
8 88°F September 7, 1941
9 88°F September 7, 1915
10 88°F September 7, 1912

Top 5 Record Lows — September 7

# Temp Date
🥶 55°F September 7, 1976
2 56°F September 7, 1967
3 61°F September 7, 1978
4 62°F September 7, 2013
5 62°F September 7, 1966
About this data — Records are sourced from the NOAA Threadex dataset via RCC ACIS, a quality-controlled record for long-term climate stations. Threadex adjusts for station relocations and observation-time changes, making records comparable across all years since 1893–2026. Climate normals represent the 1991–2020 average.

Heat Wave Summary — Cape Hatteras

threshold: 88°F (90th percentile of historical Jun–Aug highs)
4.8
Avg heat wave length
days (historical)
91°
Avg peak temp
during heat waves
92
Dangerous nights 2026
Overnights ≥ 70°F
5
Heat waves 2026
so far

2026 Daily High Temperature vs Normal

Year to date
Above normal Below normal

117 of 249 days with data were above the 1991–2020 normal high for their date.

Days ≥ 90°F Per Year

1895–2026
4
2026 so far
5
Avg/year 1970–2025
13
Avg/year (last 10 complete)
42
Most in a year (2020)

Average Daily High by Decade

Full year · complete decades only

Longest Heat Waves — Cape Hatteras

# Dates Days Peak Avg High Avg Overnight Low
🏆 Jul 9, 2020 – Jul 28, 2020 20 92°F (Jul 14) 91°F 80°F
2 Aug 28, 2018 – Sep 12, 2018 16 93°F (Sep 10) 90°F 77°F
3 Aug 9, 2021 – Aug 21, 2021 13 93°F (Aug 16) 89°F 77°F
4 Jul 21, 1999 – Aug 1, 1999 12 93°F (Jul 31) 90°F 78°F
5 Aug 2, 2011 – Aug 13, 2011 12 92°F (Aug 2) 90°F 79°F
6 Jul 11, 1977 – Jul 21, 1977 11 94°F (Jul 21) 90°F 76°F
7 Aug 9, 2016 – Aug 19, 2016 11 94°F (Aug 16) 91°F 79°F
8 Jul 5, 1993 – Jul 15, 1993 11 92°F (Jul 5) 90°F 76°F
9 Jul 6, 1994 – Jul 16, 1994 11 91°F (Jul 10) 89°F 75°F
10 Jun 13, 1994 – Jun 22, 1994 10 92°F (Jun 22) 90°F 70°F

Heat Waves Per Year

Warm Summer Nights (Jun–Aug)

Nights where the overnight low exceeded the 1991–2020 normal low

49
2026 total
above-normal nights
32.5
Avg / summer
1970–2020
66
Most in a summer
2020

Above-Normal Summer Nights Per Year

Average June–August Low by Decade

Overnight lows · complete decades only

Precipitation

Actual vs. 1991–2020 full-month and full-season normals

31.36"
2026 YTD
Normal: 40.05"
-8.69"
0.04"
September so far
September normal: 7.63"
-7.59"
11
2026 heavy rain days
Days with ≥ 1.0"

2026 Accumulation vs. Normal

Running total since Jan 1 against the normal pace for the same date · Cape Hatteras is 8.69" behind the normal pace

Monthly Precipitation — Last 24 Months

Blue = actual · dashed line = monthly normal

Annual Precipitation Per Year (1893–2026)

Blue = above average · tan = below average · gold = 2026 (partial)
Since 1893, annual totals have trended +1.18" per decade, about +15.6" across the record.

Heavy Rain Days Per Year (≥ 1.0")

Compare year-to-year changes in days with heavy rainfall (≥ 1.0")

Month in Review — August 2026

81.9°F

Average temperature · August 2026

10th-warmest month on record

6th-warmest August of 133 on record

+2.2° vs. 79.6° average (1991–2020)
84.7°F
Warmest month ever
July 2020
82.5°F
Warmest August ever
2020
93°F
Hottest of 2026
Aug 20

Average August Temperature by Year

1894–2026 · 2026 highlighted · trend +0.14° per decade (warming since 1894)

Precipitation — August 2026

Month total against the 1991–2020 average and every other August on record

5.53"
Total precipitation
August 2026
-1.20"
vs. average
Normal: 6.73" · 82% of normal
65th-wettest
August rank
of 133 on record
16.10"
Wettest August ever
1986 · driest 0.85" (1938)

August Precipitation by Year

1894–2026 · 2026 highlighted · trend +0.11" per decade (wetter since 1894)

Wettest Augusts on Record

# Year Total
1 1986 16.10"
2 1908 14.93"
3 1953 14.62"
4 1899 14.19"
5 1999 13.97"
6 1992 13.89"
7 1991 13.19"
8 1910 13.14"
9 1976 11.73"
10 1962 11.68"

Driest Augusts on Record

# Year Total
1 1938 0.85"
2 1983 0.99"
3 1978 1.04"
4 2007 1.10"
5 1928 1.13"
6 1919 1.27"
7 1896 1.44"
8 1980 1.48"
9 1900 1.56"
10 1905 1.65"

Warmest Augusts on Record

# Year Avg Temp
1 2020 82.5°F
2 2018 82.3°F
3 2016 82.2°F
4 2005 82.2°F
5 2011 81.9°F
6 2026 81.9°F
7 2021 81.7°F
8 2019 81.3°F
9 2023 81.0°F
10 2007 80.9°F

Warmest Months on Record (Any Month)

# Month Avg Temp
1 July 2020 84.7°F
2 July 2025 82.5°F
3 August 2020 82.5°F
4 August 2018 82.3°F
5 August 2016 82.2°F
6 August 2005 82.2°F
7 July 2011 82.2°F
8 July 2012 82.0°F
9 August 2011 81.9°F
10 August 2026 81.9°F

Nearby Stations — August 2026

How the same month ranked at the closest reporting stations

Station Avg Temp August Rank
Cape Hatteras, NC 81.9°F 6th of 133
Elizabeth City, NC 80.5°F 6th of 92
New Bern, NC 81.7°F 3rd of 90
Norfolk, VA 81.2°F 5th of 153
Wilmington, NC 82.1°F 6th of 153
About this data. Monthly averages are the mean of daily average temperatures, computed from NOAA Threadex records via RCC ACIS. Months missing more than three days of observations are excluded from the rankings, so the in-progress month never appears. Rankings cover 1,557 complete months on record. Precipitation totals sum the daily reports for the month, with trace amounts counted as zero. A month missing any day of precipitation data is left out entirely (an unreported day is unreported rain), so the precipitation ranking covers 133 complete Augusts. Normals are the 1991–2020 mean for the same calendar month. Trend lines are a least-squares fit across every year shown.

Fall in Review — Fall 2026

September 1 – November 30, 2026

Fall 2026 is still under way. Season totals and rankings appear once November closes; the markers below update as they happen.

Summer to Winter — 2026

Each turning point of the season against its 1991–2020 normal date, with the earliest and latest on record

Marker 2026 Normal vs. normal Earliest Latest Drift
Last 90°F day
The final day of summer heat
 Sep 5
so far
 Aug 15 Jun 5, 1943 Oct 10, 2018 +1.4 d/decade
Last 80°F day
The last genuinely warm afternoon
 Sep 6
so far
 Oct 19 Sep 16, 1943 Nov 28, 1990 +1.4 d/decade
First high below 50°F
The first afternoon that stays cold
 not yet Nov 30 Nov 1, 1906 Dec 26, 1918 +0.5 d/decade
First 32°F freeze
Growing season over
 not yet Dec 10 Oct 28, 1979 Dec 30, 1921 -0.3 d/decade
First 28°F hard freeze
Cold enough to end tender growth
 not yet — Nov 9, 1967 Dec 31, 1916 -0.4 d/decade

Drift is a least-squares fit across every year on record. Positive means the marker has been arriving later.

First Freeze by Year

The first 32°F night of each autumn since 1895 · trending -0.3 days earlier per decade

278
Normal length
1991–2020 average
352
Longest on record
1915
214
Shortest on record
1976

Growing Season Length by Year

Days between the last spring freeze and the first fall freeze · trending -1.3 days shorter per decade

Fall Average Temperature by Year

1895–2025 · 2026 highlighted · trend +0.09° per decade (warming since 1895)

Fall Precipitation by Year

1893–2025 · 2026 highlighted · trend +0.53" per decade (wetter since 1893)

About this data. Fall is meteorological autumn, September 1 through November 30, the window NOAA uses for seasonal statistics. Seasonal temperature is the day-weighted mean of the three monthly means; precipitation is their sum, and a season missing any of the three months is left out of the rankings. Freeze, heat and snow markers come from daily NOAA Threadex observations via RCC ACIS: freezes and snow are the first occurrence on or after July 1, and the last 90°F and 80°F days are the final ones anywhere in the calendar year. Growing season counts the freeze-free days between the last spring 32°F and the first fall 32°F.
← Back to all stations