North Carolina. The cape is the northern limit of tropical fauna. For all narrative below, consult the climate table, showing climate data for the 1991-2020 period. During the summer, average daily highs are in the range, and occasional intense (but usually brief) thundershowers occur. As a result of its proximity to water, temperatures above are rare, with an average of only 2.3 days annually above ; one or two years out of each decade will not see any 90 °F readings. The coolest month, January, has a daily high of , with lows normally well above freezing at . The average window for freezing temperatures is from December 15 to March 6 (allowing a growing season of 283 days), between which there is an average of 16 nights with lows at or below the freezing mark. Extremes in temperature range from on January 21, 1985 up to on June 27, 1952. Snowfall is observed only occasionally, and usually very light, with a median amount of 0. Precipitation, mostly in the form of rain, is over per year, making Cape Hatteras the wettest coastal location in North Carolina. Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. However, April represents a slightly drier month than all others, while August to October are the wettest months. On average, September is the wettest month, owing to lingering summer thunderstorms and maximum frequency of tropical weather systems (hurricanes, tropical storms and tropical depressions) that affect the area with often-heavy to torrential rains, mostly from August to early October. Due to its exposed position, Cape Hatteras is virtually the highest-risk area for hurricanes and tropical storms along the entire U.S. eastern seaboard. Cape Hatteras can experience significant wind and/or water damage from tropical systems moving (usually northward or northeastward) near or over North Carolina's Outer Banks, while other areas (i.e. Wilmington, NC or Myrtle Beach and Charleston, SC to the south and Norfolk, VA and Maryland's Eastern Shore to the north) experience much less, minimal or no damage. The Cape Hatteras area is infamous for being frequently struck by hurricanes that move up the East Coast of the United States. The strike of Hurricane Isabel in 2003 was particularly devastating for the area. Isabel devastated the entire Outer Banks and also split Hatteras Island between the two small towns of Frisco and Hatteras. NC 12, which provides a direct route from Nags Head to Hatteras Island,