Catawba, North Carolina climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Catawba's normal year runs from 31°F January nights to 89°F July afternoons, with 46.6 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 15.6°C, January lows of 0°C, July highs of 32°C, 1,184 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationCatawba (5 mi SW)
- Station IDUSC00311578
- Location35.65°N 81.13°W
- Elevation1,015 ft (309 m)
- Population729
On October 22, the normal high in Catawba is 70°F and the normal low 47°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Catawba.
- Jan 50° 31°
- Feb 54° 34°
- Mar 62° 41°
- Apr 71° 49°
- May 79° 58°
- Jun 86° 65°
- Jul 89° 69°
- Aug 87° 67°
- Sep 81° 61°
- Oct 72° 50°
- Nov 61° 40°
- Dec 53° 34°
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 Catawba each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 89°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 31°F. The most precipitation falls in August (4.78 in), the least in February (3.15 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50°F | 31°F | 40.8°F | 3.72 | – | <1 | 17 | 10 h |
| February | 54°F | 34°F | 43.9°F | 3.15 | – | <1 | 11 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 62°F | 41°F | 51.3°F | 4.24 | – | <1 | 7 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 71°F | 49°F | 60.2°F | 3.85 | – | <1 | 1 | 13 h |
| May | 79°F | 58°F | 68.1°F | 4.13 | – | 2 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 86°F | 65°F | 75.5°F | 4.17 | – | 9 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 89°F | 69°F | 78.7°F | 4.15 | – | 17 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 87°F | 67°F | 77.2°F | 4.78 | – | 10 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 81°F | 61°F | 71.2°F | 4.01 | – | 6 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 72°F | 50°F | 61.0°F | 3.33 | – | 1 | <1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 61°F | 40°F | 50.5°F | 3.47 | – | <1 | 8 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 53°F | 34°F | 43.4°F | 3.62 | – | <1 | 10 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 70°F | 50°F | 60.1°F | 46.62 | – | 43 | 53 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10°C | 0°C | 4.9°C | 94 mm |
| February | 12°C | 1°C | 6.6°C | 80 mm |
| March | 17°C | 5°C | 10.7°C | 108 mm |
| April | 22°C | 9°C | 15.7°C | 98 mm |
| May | 26°C | 14°C | 20.1°C | 105 mm |
| June | 30°C | 19°C | 24.2°C | 106 mm |
| July | 32°C | 20°C | 25.9°C | 105 mm |
| August | 31°C | 20°C | 25.1°C | 121 mm |
| September | 27°C | 16°C | 21.8°C | 102 mm |
| October | 22°C | 10°C | 16.1°C | 85 mm |
| November | 16°C | 4°C | 10.3°C | 88 mm |
| December | 12°C | 1°C | 6.3°C | 92 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Lincolnton (17 miles away), gets 6 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00311578; 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 Catawba?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, September and October.
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 USC00311578.
When is the last frost in Catawba?
In Catawba, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 24 in half of years and after April 9 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 8 in half of years and before October 27 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
- March 241 year in 10 after April 9; 9 in 10 after March 5
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 81 year in 10 before October 27; 9 in 10 before November 26
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 230 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 255 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 13 in half of springs and before November 20 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Catawba in zone 8a in ZIP code 28609, 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 USC00311578; 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 Catawba?
In a normal year in Catawba, 43 days a year reach 90°F and 53 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 43a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 53a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 2high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00311578.
How sunny is Catawba?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Catawba, 4.4 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (80%) and February the cloudiest (72%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 75% | 2.6 |
| February | 72% | 3.3 |
| March | 73% | 4.3 |
| April | 76% | 5.5 |
| May | 76% | 6.0 |
| June | 80% | 6.3 |
| July | 78% | 6.0 |
| August | 79% | 5.5 |
| September | 77% | 4.7 |
| October | 77% | 3.8 |
| November | 78% | 3.0 |
| December | 72% | 2.3 |
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 Catawba need?
A normal year in Catawba brings 3,297 heating degree days, 39% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,556 cooling degree days, 71% more than the median (908). Five months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 4,680 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 750 | 0 |
| February | 592 | 1 |
| March | 431 | 7 |
| April | 177 | 33 |
| May | 50 | 147 |
| June | 0 | 315 |
| July | 0 | 425 |
| August | 1 | 379 |
| September | 22 | 207 |
| October | 168 | 42 |
| November | 437 | 1 |
| December | 668 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 3,297 | 1,556 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00311578. 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 Catawba's climate compare?
Catawba is warmer than 69 of the other 130 places with their own NOAA record in North Carolina, and wetter than 21. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 60.1°F is warmer than 75%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Catawba is Cfa: temperate, no dry season, hot summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Catawba share this climate record?
8 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their 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.
- Newton, NC13,571 people · 6 mi W
- Lake Norman of Iredell, NC12,496 people · 14 mi SE
- Lake Norman of Catawba, NC9,308 people · 9 mi SE
- Conover, NC8,760 people · 7 mi NW
- Westport, NC5,079 people · 14 mi SE
- Maiden, NC3,854 people · 7 mi SW
- Denver, NC2,483 people · 9 mi SE
- Claremont, NC1,753 people · 4 mi N
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 Catawba's climate
What is the coldest month in Catawba?
January, with a normal high of 50°F and a normal low of 31°F. The warmest is July (89°F by day, 69°F at night).
Does it snow in Catawba?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Catawba's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Lincolnton (17 miles away), records 6 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Catawba?
August, with 4.78 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 3.15 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Catawba in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Catawba in zone 8a in ZIP code 28609, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Catawba?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 24; in one year in ten it comes after April 9. Waiting until April 9 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
- Hickory, NC16 miles from this station, 59.0°F a year
- Lincolnton, NC17 miles from this station, 59.8°F a year
- Statesville, NC18 miles from this station, 57.4°F a year
- Taylorsville, NC19 miles from this station, 58.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made