Sanford climate — normals and trends
Sanford (United States) has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 16.0 °C and it receives 1,126 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is July (26.0 °C on average) and the coldest is January (5.5 °C). Rainfall peaks in July.
Sanford averages 45 frost days, 71 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 122 rainy days per year.
Sanford has warmed by +1.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.13 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 41.6 °C (on 9 July 1977) and the coldest -18.8 °C (on 21 January 1985).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
SanfordNorth Carolina
- coords
- 35.48°, -79.18°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
16.0°C
Average daily high
21.6°C
Average daily low
11.2°C
Annual rainfall
1,126mm
Sunshine / day
9.1h
Mean relative humidity
69%
Average peak wind
14.6km/h
Seasonal range
20.5°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
45 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
71 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
122 d/yr
Annual snowfall
12.4 cm
Average feels-like high
21.6 °C
Average feels-like low
10.0 °C
Average peak gust
34.3 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
80 d/yr
Solar radiation
15.9 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.1 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.26 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
41.6 °C
9 July 1977
Coldest day
-18.8 °C
21 January 1985
Wettest day
132 mm
16 September 2024
Windiest day
52.9 km/h
6 September 1996
Strongest gust
129.2 km/h
6 September 1996
Hottest feels-like
44.3 °C
23 August 1983
Coldest feels-like
-25.1 °C
21 January 1985
Snowiest day
23.7 cm
1 March 1969
Sunniest day
14.1 h
24 June 1944
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.9 °C | -1.8 °C | 35 mm | -54 mm |
| Feb | 14.6 °C | +1.9 °C | 64 mm | -21 mm |
| Mar | 20.9 °C | +3.9 °C | 57 mm | -44 mm |
| Apr | 24.9 °C | +2.6 °C | 79 mm | -4 mm |
| May | 26.2 °C | 0.0 °C | 182 mm | +93 mm |
| Jun | 31.2 °C | +1.3 °C | 115 mm | +15 mm |
| Jul | 32.5 °C | +1.2 °C | 154 mm | +27 mm |
| Aug | 27.9 °C | -2.4 °C | 153 mm | +36 mm |
| Sep | 27.7 °C | +0.3 °C | 68 mm | -38 mm |
| Oct | 21.2 °C | -1.1 °C | 69 mm | -5 mm |
| Nov | 18.5 °C | +1.5 °C | 53 mm | -23 mm |
| Dec | 11.7 °C | -0.5 °C | 45 mm | -36 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Sanford?
Sanford has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 16.0 °C and it receives 1,126 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Sanford?
The hottest day measured in Sanford between 1940 and 2025 was 9 July 1977, reaching 41.6 °C.
What is the coldest day in Sanford?
The coldest day measured in Sanford between 1940 and 2025 was 21 January 1985, at -18.8 °C.
Does it snow in Sanford?
Yes. Sanford gets on average 12.4 cm of snow per year and has around 45 frost days.
Has the climate of Sanford warmed?
Yes: Sanford warmed by +1.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Sanford?
The wettest day measured in Sanford between 1940 and 2025 was 16 September 2024, with 132 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Sanford?
The windiest day measured in Sanford between 1940 and 2025 was 6 September 1996, with winds reaching 52.9 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Sanford?
The warmest month in Sanford is July (26.0 °C on average); the coldest is January (5.5 °C).
How much does it rain in Sanford?
Sanford receives on average 1,126 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 122 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Sanford?
Sanford gets on average 9.1 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,322 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Sanford?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Sanford between 1940 and 2025 was 1 March 1969, with 23.7 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Sanford?
Yes: Sanford has on average 80 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Sanford?
In Sanford, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 44.3 °C on 23 August 1983, and the lowest was -25.1 °C on 21 January 1985.
Compare Sanford with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Sanford