Most of the precipitation that falls is a cold rain from big storm systems. Nor'easters can drop a lot of rain in the southeast, especially along the coast. Most of the snow in the Southeast falls well north and far inland. The skies are cloudy for most of January. The rain falls mostly in heavy downpours from thunderstorms.
Thunderstorms develop from the warm and humid air.
Even though there is a lot of rain, it is still quite sunny in the southeast during the month of July. The coldest recorded temperature is -34 degrees Fahrenheit in Mt. Mitchell, North Carolina on January 21, 1985. For more climate data, look at the Weather Research Center site. Climate data is listed for many cities, including temperature and precipitation information.