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Shaded-relief map of Kure Beach, North Carolina: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
NORTH CAROLINA · NEW HANOVER COUNTY

Kure Beach

2,154 people, 20 ft above sea level in New Hanover County.

20 ftElevation, city center
2,154People, 2024 estimate
1 sq miLand area
Sunny 57°
Sunny now Dew point 31° · NNW 15 mph · high 57°
City of Kure Beach River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Kure Beach plate. Relief from Copernicus GLO-30; rivers and lakes from USGS NHD; watersheds from the USGS Watershed Boundary Dataset; roads and city limits from Census TIGER 2024.

MILE1
TODAY

Today in Kure Beach

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 3:00 PM EST
RIGHT NOW Wilmington International Airport (KILM) · 2:53 PM
Sunny
57° Sunny Feels like 57° · high of 57° near 3 PM
WindNNW 15 mphno gusts
Humidity37%rising to 79% by morning
Pressure30.02 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 31° · Dry41° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Clear
Not this weeknone in the forecast for a week
LIKELY AMOUNT—nothing expected
LAST RAINNov. 60.43 in · 8 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
! Frost AdvisoryFrost Advisory issued November 14 at 1:46PM EST until November 15 at 9:00AM EST by NWS Wilmington NC
NWS Wilmington and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 3:46 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 6:43 AM5:09 PM ↓
10 h 25 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 25% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
33
GOODAir quality index · fine particles
Tomorrow: 40, good. No pollen source yet.

The next three days, hour by hour

Sky: clear, cloudy, night Rain likely National Blend of Models
SATURDAY, NOV. 14
SUNDAY, NOV. 15
MONDAY, NOV. 16
TUESDAY, NOV. 17
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
clear day
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear day
clear day
clear day
mostly sunny
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear day
clear day
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly sunny
clear day
clear day
TEMPERATURE °F
57°
36°
58°
38°
58°
38°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
12
5
5
7
7
7
8
7
7
0
0
3
7
8
10
9
8
6
6
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9
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 30 to 41° More humid: 39° by Tuesday

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 68° / 45°
SAT Nov. 14 Sunny Sunny
57° 36°
0% rain — NW 12 A
SUN Nov. 15 Sunny Sunny
58° 37°
0% rain — NNW 7 A
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
59° 37°
0% rain — NNE 9 A
TUE Nov. 17 Sunny Sunny
63° 39°
0% rain — NNE 6 B
WED Nov. 18 Sunny Sunny
66° 41°
0% rain — NE 5 B
THU Nov. 19 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
71° 44°
0% rain — NE 3 B
FRI Nov. 20 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
71° 45°
0% rain — NE 6 B
How sure are we? AModels agree: highs within 4° BSome spread: within 8° CWide spread: check back
Range from the National Blend of Models percentiles · graded on Forecast Scores
AIR MAIL

Where today’s air came from

The air arriving over Kure Beach about 5,000 feet above the ground was over Alabama and Mississippi three days ago, and over the Appalachians a day ago, about 840 miles back along its path. Near the ground the air came from the Ohio Valley; at 10,000 feet, from the Pacific Northwest. It feels humid. Traced back 72 hours through NOAA’s hourly RAP analyses and the GFS beyond them, nine paths at each of three heights.

THIS WEEK, SIX YEARS AGO Nov. 11–12, 2020

The wettest two days this week has seen

4.84 inches of rain fell in two days, the most for this week of the year since records began in 1870. The next wettest, 4.73 inches, fell in 1937.

4.73″
4.84″
19372020
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Wilmington Area threaded record since 1870.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Kure Beach stands on

Kure Beach’s center stands about 20 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 0 ft to 50 ft, a difference of 50 ft: nearly flat ground. Open water lies within three miles.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Surficial Deposits, Undivided (sand, clay, gravel), from the Quaternary, less than 2.6 million years old.

The section below crosses 3 rock units mapped at the surface.

Kure Beach, cut in half from northwest to southeast

A section northwest to southeast, 24 miles through the town center
0 ft KURE BEACH20 ftBoiling Spring Lakes80 ftCape Fear Riversea level ← NW · Boiling Spring LakesSE →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 64×. The colored band under the surface is the rock the state geologic map shows at the surface, not a picture of what lies beneath.

Rock at the surface along the line

Waccamaw Formation

Sand. Age: Tertiary, 2.6 to 66 million years old. About 7 mi of the line.

Castle Hayne Formation; Comfort Member and New Hanover Member, undivided

Limestone. Age: Tertiary, 2.6 to 66 million years old. About 2 mi of the line.

Surficial Deposits, Undivided

Sand, clay, gravel. Age: Quaternary, less than 2.6 million years old. About 1 mi of the line.

From the USGS State Geologic Map Compilation (Horton and others, 2017), the states’ geologic maps joined at a common scale.

Heights from Copernicus GLO-90 (a surface model: it includes buildings and tree canopy); summits from USGS GNIS; rivers from USGS NHDPlus HR; rock from the USGS State Geologic Map Compilation.

MILE3
THE WATER

Where Kure Beach’s rain goes

Rain that falls on Kure Beach runs straight into the Atlantic Ocean.

FROM THE CENTER OF KURE BEACH < 2 mi to the Atlantic Ocean straight to the shore

Traced down the USGS NHDPlus V2.1 river network from the Census center point of Kure Beach; river miles along the main stem, rounded.

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Kure Beach’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1870 · Wilmington Int'L Airport, 19 mi north

Kure Beach has a humid subtropical climate. Summer afternoons average 90° in July; winter nights fall to about 36° in January. About 60 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

57°36°60°38°67°44°75°53°81°61°87°69°90°73°88°72°84°67°76°56°67°45°60°39° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 123 TODAY KURE BEACH 60.1 in rain a year
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month
July, average90° / 73°high / low, the warmest month
January, average57° / 36°high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year60.1 inwettest months: September and August
Snow a year0.9 insnowiest: January
Hottest on record104°FJune 27, 1952
Coldest on record0°FDecember 25, 1989
Wettest day on record13.4 inSeptember 15, 1999
Snowiest day on record11.1 inFebruary 18, 1896
90° days a year45very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°37and 1 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHumid subtropicalKöppen Cfa

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Nov. 17, to the last in spring, about March 17 (median dates)
2Highs of 90° and upJune 30 to Aug. 1; normal highs reach 90°
3Wettest stretchJuly through September: 23.7 of the year’s 60.1 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Kure Beach normally reaches 68° and falls to 45°. The record high is 82°, in 1993; the record low 26°, in 2013. The most rain on this date, 1.95 in, fell in 1908.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high57°60°67°75°81°87°90°88°84°76°67°60°
Normal low36°38°44°53°61°69°73°72°67°56°45°39°
Rain, inches3.813.473.973.074.545.676.868.168.694.663.563.69
Record high83° (2024)86° (2023)94° (1907)95° (1967)101° (2019)104° (1952)103° (1879)103° (1999)100° (1925)98° (2019)87° (1974)82° (1998)
Record low5° (1985)5° (1899)9° (1980)28° (1875)35° (1963)48° (1983)54° (1919)55° (2004)42° (1887)27° (1962)16° (1950)0° (1989)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1870 from the Wilmington Area threaded record (Wilmington Int'L Airport, 18 miles north). NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Kure Beach on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Wilmington NC · 15 MI 15 miles north Leland NC · 17 MI 17 miles northwest Raleigh NC · 133 MI 133 miles north Durham NC · 148 MI 148 miles northwest Greensboro NC · 181 MI 181 miles northwest Charlotte NC · 186 MI 186 miles northwest
FORECASTCITY
Map of Kure Beach, North Carolina. Explore the plate
NORTH CAROLINA · NEW HANOVER

Kure Beach

2,154 people, 20 ft above sea level in New Hanover County.

20 ftElevation
2,154People
1 sq miLand
Sunny 57°
SunnyDew point 31°
1

Today in Kure Beach

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now clear day 57° 0%
6p clear night 51° 0%
9p clear night 45° 0%
12a clear night 41° 0%
3a clear night 39° 0%
6a clear night 37° 0%
Clear
NEXT RAINNone this week
→
Sat0%
Sunny Sunny
36
57
A
Sun0%
Sunny Sunny
37
58
A
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
37
59
A
Tue0%
Sunny Sunny
39
63
B
Wed0%
Sunny Sunny
41
66
B
Thu0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
44
71
B
Fri0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
45
71
B
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK, SIX YEARS AGO · NOV. 11–12, 2020

4.84 inches in two days, the most for this week since 1870.

2

What Kure Beach stands on

Kure Beach’s center stands about 20 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 0 ft to 50 ft, a difference of 50 ft: nearly flat ground. Open water lies within three miles.

Kure Beach, northwest to southeast Kure Beach20 ftCape Fear Riversea level ← NWSE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center20 ft
Within 3 miles0 to 50 ft
Lie of the landNearly flat (50 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceSurficial Deposits, Undivided
Its ageQuaternary, less than 2.6 million years old
5

Kure Beach’s year

Kure Beach has a humid subtropical climate. Summer afternoons average 90° in July; winter nights fall to about 36° in January. About 60 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 123 60.1 in
July, average90° / 73° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average57° / 36° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year60.1 in · wettest months: September and August
Snow a year0.9 in · snowiest: January
Hottest on record104°F · June 27, 1952
Coldest on record0°F · December 25, 1989
Wettest day on record13.4 in · September 15, 1999
Snowiest day on record11.1 in · February 18, 1896
90° days a year45 · very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°37 · and 1 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHumid subtropical · Köppen Cfa
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Nov. 17, to the last in spring, about March 17 (median dates)
2Highs of 90° and up · June 30 to Aug. 1; normal highs reach 90°
3Wettest stretch · July through September: 23.7 of the year’s 60.1 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Kure Beach normally reaches 68° and falls to 45°. The record high is 82°, in 1993; the record low 26°, in 2013. The most rain on this date, 1.95 in, fell in 1908.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1870 from the Wilmington Area threaded record (Wilmington Int'L Airport, 18 miles north). NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

< 2 mito the Atlantic Oceanstraight to the shore

Rain that falls on Kure Beach runs straight into the Atlantic Ocean.