Is it good to paint in Raleigh, NC this week?
A live 7-day go/no-go calendar for exterior paint in Raleigh, built from the local forecast against the 5°F-above-dew-point rule. We lead with the signal a weather app misses: overnight condensation risk.
- Dew margin
- -1.6°F
- Overnight dew
- High
- Rain
- 16%
- Window
- —
High condensation risk overnight — surface dips to within -1.6°F of the 66°F dew point (low 64°F, 95% cloud, 5 mph wind). A fresh paint can blush/blister. Stop 4h before dew falls.
- Dew margin
- 0.9°F
- Overnight dew
- High
- Rain
- 66%
- Window
- —
High condensation risk overnight — surface dips to within 0.9°F of the 61°F dew point (low 61°F, 100% cloud, 6 mph wind). A fresh paint can blush/blister. Stop 4h before dew falls.
- Dew margin
- -3°F
- Overnight dew
- High
- Rain
- 71%
- Window
- —
High condensation risk overnight — surface dips to within -3°F of the 65°F dew point (low 62°F, 100% cloud, 3 mph wind). A fresh paint can blush/blister. Stop 4h before dew falls.
- Dew margin
- -6.9°F
- Overnight dew
- High
- Rain
- 32%
- Window
- —
High condensation risk overnight — surface dips to within -6.9°F of the 64°F dew point (low 50°F, 100% cloud, 7 mph wind). A fresh paint can blush/blister. Stop 4h before dew falls.
- Dew margin
- -1°F
- Overnight dew
- High
- Rain
- 2%
- Window
- —
High condensation risk overnight — surface dips to within -1°F of the 38°F dew point (low 37°F, 80% cloud, 7 mph wind). A fresh paint can blush/blister. Stop 4h before dew falls.
- Dew margin
- -7.4°F
- Overnight dew
- High
- Rain
- 5%
- Window
- —
High condensation risk overnight — surface dips to within -7.4°F of the 46°F dew point (low 39°F, 85% cloud, 3 mph wind). A fresh paint can blush/blister. Stop 4h before dew falls.
- Dew margin
- -1.7°F
- Overnight dew
- High
- Rain
- 5%
- Window
- —
High condensation risk overnight — surface dips to within -1.7°F of the 51°F dew point (low 49°F, 100% cloud, 4 mph wind). A fresh paint can blush/blister. Stop 4h before dew falls.
- High condensation risk overnight — surface dips to within -1.6°F of the 66°F dew point (low 64°F, 95% cloud, 5 mph wind). A fresh paint can blush/blister. Stop 4h before dew falls.
- Too hot — high of 90°F is well over the 85°F ceiling; the film skins over before it can level or adhere.
- High humidity (95%, over the 85% mark) slows drying — keep an eye on the cure window.
Hold off. These are forecast numbers — confirm the surface temperature on-site before you start.
Why these thresholds
Overnight dew condensing on a fresh coat causes blistering, surfactant leaching and peeling — the cause of 40%+ of exterior paint failures.
- • Surface temp must stay 5°F above the dew point through application and cure (ASTM D3276 / ISO 8502-42).
- • Air + surface in the 50–85°F band (low-temp lines to 35°F).
- • Humidity under 85%; ideally under 70%.
- • No rain for 24h after application.
- • We use the forecast ground-surface temperature as a surface-temp proxy — confirm on-site with an IR thermometer.
Free in the beta
Watch this job site 24/7
Get an email the moment overnight dew, rain, or an out-of-range stretch threatens a fresh coat — and a morning digest with the best window ahead. No app to check; we watch the forecast for you.