Banner Elk, NC Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Banner Elk's primary NOAA station, BANNER ELK.
The climate verdict for Banner Elk
Water is the standout signal in Banner Elk, North Carolina: 53.8 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 50°F. At 49/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 18% of scores.
- 50°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 49/100
- comfort score, above 18% of station-mapped location scores
- 53.8"
- annual precipitation · 31" snow
- 167 days
- frost-free growing season
Banner Elk: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00310506 · Banner Elk, NC 50°F mean · 53.8" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-WET · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 50°F
- RANK-MID #2,744
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Cimarron
- PRCP-WET 53.8"
- SWING-MID 37°F
- COMF-LOW 49/100
- LOAD-HEAT 5,690 HDD
- STN-1 USC00310506
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Cimarron, NM (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every NC station list.
- Banner Elk (this station) 50°F
- Cold Wrightwood, CA 50°F
- Hot Springerville, AZ 50°F
- Near Cimarron, NM 50°F
- Near Boone, NC 50°F
Climate Living Index · Banner Elk
Banner Elk: 43/100 · grade D
Banner Elk publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Banner Elk, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 49/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 135 calendar days | 56/100 · C |
| Annual temperature balance | 50.1°F · 17.4° from 67.5°F | 41/100 · D |
| Frost-free season | 167 days/year | 39/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 31.4 inches/year | 37/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 53.8 in · 18.8 from 35 in | 33/100 · F |
Banner Elk · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Banner Elk is a continental Köppen climate: Dfb
Coldest-month mean 31.2°F and warmest-month mean 67.8°F place this station in continental, no dry season, warm summer climates (Dfb). Class Dfb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfb
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 67.8°F
- Coldest month
- 31.2°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Banner Elk sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Banner Elk's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 40th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Top 12% wettest
- Banner Elk's annual total ranks in the wetter third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 78%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Banner Elk is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Banner Elk compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Banner Elk's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
49 18th percentile score exceeds 18% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). This entry sits in this band.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Banner Elk's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 82 complete annual observations from 1908 to 2025, BANNER ELK warmed at a fitted rate of 0.13°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Banner Elk primary station fitted change +0.13 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40°F (5°C) | 22°F (-5°C) | 31°F (0°C) | 4.6" | 6.9" | 25.2 | 0.0 |
| February | 44°F (6°C) | 24°F (-4°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 3.7" | 11.4" | 22.4 | 0.0 |
| March | 50°F (10°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 40°F (5°C) | 4.9" | 4.8" | 18.9 | 0.0 |
| April | 60°F (16°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 4.8" | 0.8" | 9.4 | 0.0 |
| May | 68°F (20°C) | 47°F (9°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 5.1" | 0.0" | 1.4 | 0.0 |
| June | 74°F (23°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 5.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| July | 77°F (25°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 5.7" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| August | 76°F (25°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 67°F (19°C) | 4.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| September | 71°F (22°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 4.5" | 0.0" | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| October | 62°F (17°C) | 40°F (5°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 3.4" | 0.1" | 7.4 | 0.0 |
| November | 52°F (11°C) | 31°F (-1°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 3.3" | 1.6" | 18.4 | 0.0 |
| December | 44°F (7°C) | 26°F (-4°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 4.3" | 5.8" | 22.9 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 77°F around July 19, short of 90°F on every date, while 135 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 22°F near January 19.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 22, then returns to freezing around November 9, covering 135 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is June 19, when 49% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is October 22 at 31%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 152 wet dates a year.
The widest day
October 30 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 23°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Banner Elk.
Where Banner Elk Stands Nationally
The normal water year runs well above the national norm at roughly 54 inches.
Days and nights track unusually close together; the widest normal swing, about 23°F, is narrower than most stations record.
Banner Elk earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 6.9"
13.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 11.4"
11.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 4.8"
13.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.8"
12.3 days with precipitation
13.8 days with precipitation
14.3 days with precipitation
15.3 days with precipitation
14.1 days with precipitation
11.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
9.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.6"
9.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.8"
13.2 days with precipitation
Banner Elk spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 28% of the annual total and December through February 23%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Banner Elk has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 36.6°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: July averages 5.7" and November 3.3". The three wettest months together take 30% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
When it rains in Banner Elk, it arrives in quantity
53.8" of precipitation falls across only about 152 wet days here, averaging 0.35 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.
- Days with measurable precipitation
- about 152 a year, 42% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.35 inches
- Most wet days
- July, about 15
- Fewest wet days
- October, about 9
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.
Winter brings real snow to Banner Elk
Banner Elk averages 31.4 inches of snowfall a year, with February the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 19 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 31.4 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 19 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 6% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 14
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 30
50% probability date
Growing Season
167 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
5,690
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
268
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside NC closest to Banner Elk on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (50°F here).
- Akron, CO 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Ansonia, CT 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Austin, NV 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Bluffton, IN 50°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (53.8" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Barbourville, KY 53.8" · 0.0" off
- Union City, TN 53.8" · 0.0" off
- Perrysburg, NY 53.7" · 0.0" off
- Occidental, CA 53.8" · 0.1" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Banner Elk
heating led · wet · mid swing
Banner Elk's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 5,690 annual heating degree days against 268 for cooling. Its 36.6°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Banner Elk's frost-free season lasts about 167 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Banner Elk coldest normal
January
The monthly mean of 31°F (0°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Banner Elk typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Banner Elk snow peak
February
Banner Elk averages 31.4 inches of snow a year, with February the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Banner Elk's climate
How much snow does Banner Elk get? ▼
How cold does Banner Elk get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Banner Elk? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Banner Elk's primary station: BANNER ELK (USC00310506). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 3703500). Match rule for Banner Elk: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Banner Elk comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.