Best time to visit Cape Hatteras National Seashore
February, March and December are the best balance at Cape Hatteras National Seashore: mild and dry for the park (average highs 57° to 61°F), with crowds from quiet to moderate. July is busiest, with about 438,000 visitors. January is the quietest.
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Very busy
- Few or no visits (may be closed)
- Best months
Month by month
- Station
- Cape Hatteras AP, NC USW00093729
- Lat / lon
- 35.23, -75.62
- Elevation
- 11 ft
- From park center
- 1.1 mi
- Normals
- 1991–2020
- Visits
- 2023–2025
| Field | Jan | Febbest | Marbest | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Decbest | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High, °F | 55° | 57° | 61° | 69° | 77° | 84° | 87° | 87° | 83° | 75° | 66° | 59° | 72° |
| Low, °F | 41° | 42° | 46° | 54° | 63° | 71° | 75° | 74° | 71° | 61° | 52° | 45° | 58° |
| Precipitation, in | 4.9 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 5.4 | 6.7 | 7.6 | 5.6 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 61.2 |
| Snow, in | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Daylight, h:mm | 10:01 | 10:51 | 11:52 | 13:02 | 14:00 | 14:31 | 14:19 | 13:29 | 12:21 | 11:14 | 10:16 | 9:48 | |
| Visitors, thousands | 72 | 74 | 151 | 214 | 253 | 406 | 438 | 365 | 320 | 220 | 159 | 85 | 2,758 |
| Crowds | Quiet | Quiet | Moderate | Moderate | Busy | Very busy | Very busy | Very busy | Busy | Moderate | Moderate | Quiet | |
| Weather | Mild, wet | Mild | Mild | Mild | Mild | Hot | Hot | Hot | Hot | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Mild |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip., in | Snow, in | Daylight | Visitors | Crowds | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 55° | 41° | 4.9 | – | 10:01 | 72,000 | Quiet | Mild, wet |
| Februarybest | 57° | 42° | 4.3 | – | 10:51 | 74,000 | Quiet | Mild |
| Marchbest | 61° | 46° | 4.4 | – | 11:52 | 151,000 | Moderate | Mild |
| April | 69° | 54° | 3.9 | – | 13:02 | 214,000 | Moderate | Mild |
| May | 77° | 63° | 4.4 | – | 14:00 | 253,000 | Busy | Mild |
| June | 84° | 71° | 4.4 | – | 14:31 | 406,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| July | 87° | 75° | 5.4 | – | 14:19 | 438,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| August | 87° | 74° | 6.7 | – | 13:29 | 365,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| September | 83° | 71° | 7.6 | – | 12:21 | 320,000 | Busy | Hot |
| October | 75° | 61° | 5.6 | – | 11:14 | 220,000 | Moderate | Mild, wet |
| November | 66° | 52° | 4.8 | – | 10:16 | 159,000 | Moderate | Mild, wet |
| Decemberbest | 59° | 45° | 4.7 | – | 9:48 | 85,000 | Quiet | Mild |
| Year | 72° | 58° | 61.2 | – | 2,758,000 | |||
Year: average high and low, total precipitation and snowfall, total visitors. T = trace (under 0.05 in). – = not measured at this station. Updated .
- Hottest July, average high 87°F
- Coldest nights January, average low 41°F
- Source NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information; National Park Service
- Visitors a year about 2,758,000 (2023–2025 average)
- State North Carolina
Closures, reservations and alerts: Cape Hatteras National Seashore on nps.gov
Nearby
- Fort Raleigh National Historic SiteBest: Apr, Oct and Nov · North Carolina
- Cape Lookout National SeashoreBest: Feb, Mar and Nov · North Carolina
- Wright Brothers National MemorialBest: Apr, Oct and Nov · North Carolina
- Colonial National Historical ParkBest: Mar, Apr and Nov · Virginia