Blowing Rock, North Carolina climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Blowing Rock's normal year runs from 21°F January nights to 77°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.9°C, January lows of −6°C, July highs of 25°C.
- NOAA stationBlowing Rock (1 mi NW)
- Station IDUSC00310901
- Location36.15°N 81.70°W
- Elevation3,850 ft (1,174 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population1,336
On October 8, the normal high in Blowing Rock is 63°F and the normal low 46°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Blowing Rock.
- Jan 39° 21°
- Feb 42° 24°
- Mar 50° 30°
- Apr 60° 40°
- May 67° 48°
- Jun 73° 55°
- Jul 77° 60°
- Aug 75° 58°
- Sep 70° 53°
- Oct 60° 43°
- Nov 51° 32°
- Dec 42° 26°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Blowing Rock each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 77°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 21°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39°F | 21°F | 29.9°F | – | <1 | 25 | 10 h |
| February | 42°F | 24°F | 33.3°F | – | <1 | 22 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 50°F | 30°F | 40.0°F | – | <1 | 19 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 60°F | 40°F | 50.0°F | – | <1 | 8 | 13 h |
| May | 67°F | 48°F | 57.3°F | – | <1 | 1 | 14 h |
| June | 73°F | 55°F | 64.0°F | – | <1 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 77°F | 60°F | 68.4°F | – | <1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 75°F | 58°F | 66.6°F | – | <1 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 70°F | 53°F | 61.4°F | – | <1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 60°F | 43°F | 51.3°F | – | <1 | 5 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 51°F | 32°F | 41.6°F | – | <1 | 17 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 42°F | 26°F | 34.1°F | – | <1 | 24 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 59°F | 41°F | 49.8°F | – | <1 | 120 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4°C | −6°C | −1.2°C |
| February | 6°C | −4°C | 0.7°C |
| March | 10°C | −1°C | 4.4°C |
| April | 16°C | 5°C | 10.0°C |
| May | 19°C | 9°C | 14.1°C |
| June | 23°C | 13°C | 17.8°C |
| July | 25°C | 15°C | 20.2°C |
| August | 24°C | 15°C | 19.2°C |
| September | 21°C | 12°C | 16.3°C |
| October | 16°C | 6°C | 10.7°C |
| November | 11°C | 0°C | 5.3°C |
| December | 6°C | −3°C | 1.2°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Boone (6 miles away), gets 26 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00310901; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Blowing Rock?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September.
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00310901.
When is the last frost in Blowing Rock?
In Blowing Rock, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 25 in half of years and after May 12 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 21 in half of years and before October 6 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- April 251 year in 10 after May 12; 9 in 10 after April 8
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 211 year in 10 before October 6; 9 in 10 before November 3
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 178 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 200 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 11 in half of springs and before October 30 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Blowing Rock in zone 6b in ZIP code 28605, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in North Carolina · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00310901; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Blowing Rock?
In a normal year in Blowing Rock, a 90°F day is rare and 120 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 120a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 25high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1893) is 92°F, on July 29, 1956; the lowest is −24°F, on January 21, 1985.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1973, with 83.90 in; the snowiest season is 1982–83, with 85.6 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00310901; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00310901. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Blowing Rock?
Over a year 72% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Blowing Rock, 4.2 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (75%) and February the cloudiest (66%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 68% | 2.4 |
| February | 66% | 3.0 |
| March | 69% | 4.1 |
| April | 72% | 5.2 |
| May | 71% | 5.7 |
| June | 75% | 6.1 |
| July | 74% | 5.8 |
| August | 75% | 5.3 |
| September | 74% | 4.6 |
| October | 74% | 3.6 |
| November | 75% | 2.8 |
| December | 68% | 2.1 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Blowing Rock need?
A normal year in Blowing Rock brings 5,796 heating degree days, 8% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 287 cooling degree days, 68% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,389 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,089 | 0 |
| February | 888 | 0 |
| March | 773 | 0 |
| April | 453 | 3 |
| May | 246 | 9 |
| June | 80 | 49 |
| July | 14 | 120 |
| August | 34 | 84 |
| September | 131 | 23 |
| October | 426 | 1 |
| November | 704 | 0 |
| December | 958 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,796 | 287 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00310901. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
How does Blowing Rock's climate compare?
Blowing Rock is warmer than 1 of the other 130 places with their own NOAA record in North Carolina. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 49.8°F is warmer than 39%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Blowing Rock share this climate record?
Foscoe has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Foscoe, NC1,257 people · 4 mi W
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Blowing Rock's climate
What is the coldest month in Blowing Rock?
January, with a normal high of 39°F and a normal low of 21°F. The warmest is July (77°F by day, 60°F at night).
Does it snow in Blowing Rock?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Blowing Rock's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Boone (6 miles away), records 26 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Blowing Rock in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Blowing Rock in zone 6b in ZIP code 28605, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Blowing Rock?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 25; in one year in ten it comes after May 12. Waiting until May 12 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- North Carolina climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Boone, NC6 miles from this station, 50.2°F a year
- Grandfather Mountain, NC8 miles from this station, 47.5°F a year
- Banner Elk, NC9 miles from this station, 50.1°F a year
- Beech Mountain, NC10 miles from this station, 45.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made