As of Oct 13, 2026, the latest day this gauge has reported
How much rain has Orange County, North Carolina, had in 2026?
29.11 inches of rain have fallen so far in 2026 at the volunteer rain gauge 5.6 miles north-northwest of Hillsborough, Orange County, through Oct 13. That is 10.92 inches less than a usual year to date (73% of usual).
- Rain so far
- 29.11 in
- Usual by Oct 13
- 40.03 in
- Percent of usual
- 73%
- 2025 by Oct 13
- 42.85 in
This is Orange County’s 2026 so far, drawn as a Rain Print. Put your name and dates on it: framed $89, print $45.Get Orange County’s 2026 rain and snow drawn as a Rain Print, with your name and dates: framed $89, print $45. Make yours
Prints of 2026 ship in January, once the full year is in.
Want another year, like the drought or the year you married? Rainfall art of any town and year.
Month by month
| Month | Rain, in | Usual, in | Vs usual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1.38 | 3.78 | −2.40 |
| Feb | 2.63 | 3.01 | −0.38 |
| Mar | 1.98 | 4.19 | −2.21 |
| Apr | 0.77 | 3.76 | −2.99 |
| May | 1.70 | 4.66 | −2.96 |
| Jun | 2.98 | 4.88 | −1.90 |
| Jul | 10.02 | 4.61 | +5.41 |
| Aug | 2.77 | 3.86 | −1.09 |
| Sep | 3.74 | 5.61 | −1.87 |
| Oct to the 13th | 1.14 | 1.67 | −0.53 |
| So far | 29.11 | 40.03 | −10.92 |
2026 so far in Orange County
- Wettest month: July, 10.02 inches.
- Biggest one-day reading: 3.76 inches on Jul 23.
- Longest dry stretch: 14 days in a row with the gauge at zero, May 28 to Jun 10.
- 2025 by the same date: 42.85 inches at the same gauge (it missed 3 days). On the 283 days both years reported, 2026 had 14.19 inches less than 2025.
- On 1 report the observer read the gauge after more than one day. That rain counts on the day it was read, so it is in the totals but not split by day.
The station, and what usual means
The numbers come from NOAA’s daily record for the volunteer rain gauge 5.6 miles north-northwest of Hillsborough (gauge ID US1NCOR0044), 6 miles from the middle of Orange County. It reported every one of the 286 days from Jan 1 to Oct 13. Rain here means everything the gauge caught: rain, and snow melted down to water. A trace counts as zero. It is read once a day, usually in the morning, and each reading is filed under the day it was read, so an evening storm can show up on the next day.
Usual means NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 daily normals for this gauge, added up over the same 286 days the gauge reported, so a missing day counts on neither side. The volunteer gauges started in 1998, so none has 30 years of its own; NOAA estimates the rest from long-record stations nearby.
Why this gauge: 19 stations inside Orange County reported at least 90% of the days in 2026. Mountain snow sites, and stations far above the rest in the county, come last, since their rain is not what the farms below get. Then the pick goes to one with NOAA normals, then the most days reported, then the one nearest the middle of the county. Your own rain gauge can read differently a few miles away.
Questions
How much rain has Orange County, North Carolina, had in 2026?
29.11 inches of rain have fallen so far in 2026 at the volunteer rain gauge 5.6 miles north-northwest of Hillsborough, Orange County, through Oct 13. That is 10.92 inches less than a usual year to date (73% of usual).
Is Orange County wetter or drier than usual in 2026?
Drier so far. The volunteer rain gauge 5.6 miles north-northwest of Hillsborough had 29.11 inches from Jan 1 to Oct 13, 73% of the usual 40.03 inches for the same days.
What was the wettest month in Orange County in 2026?
July, with 10.02 inches at the volunteer rain gauge 5.6 miles north-northwest of Hillsborough, counting Jan 1 through Oct 13.
What was the biggest rain in Orange County in 2026?
3.76 inches on Jul 23, 2026, the biggest one-day reading this year through Oct 13. A reading that covers more than one day is not counted as a one-day rain.
How does 2026 compare with 2025 in Orange County?
From Jan 1 to Oct 13, the volunteer rain gauge 5.6 miles north-northwest of Hillsborough had 42.85 inches in 2025 (2025 missed 3 days) and 29.11 inches in 2026. On the 283 days both years reported, 2026 had 14.19 inches less than 2025.
Next door
- Alamance County 29.85 in, 80% to Oct 12
- Caswell County 23.66 in, 61%
- Chatham County 27.64 in
- Durham County 29.25 in, 72%
Rain in North Carolina, county by county · PRF insurance in Orange County · Farmland Atlas: Orange County