Elkin, North Carolina climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Elkin's normal year runs from 23°F January nights to 87°F July afternoons, with 49.0 inches of precipitation and 3 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 13.3°C, January lows of −5°C, July highs of 31°C, 1,245 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationElkin
- Station IDUSC00312740
- Location36.25°N 80.86°W
- Elevation910 ft (277 m)
- Population4,094
On October 22, the normal high in Elkin is 69°F and the normal low 39°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 26%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Elkin.
- Jan 49° 23°
- Feb 52° 24°
- Mar 60° 31°
- Apr 70° 40°
- May 77° 51°
- Jun 84° 60°
- Jul 87° 65°
- Aug 86° 63°
- Sep 80° 57°
- Oct 71° 42°
- Nov 61° 32°
- Dec 52° 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 Elkin each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 87°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 23°F. The most precipitation falls in July (5.01 in), the least in February (2.99 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49°F | 23°F | 35.9°F | 4.00 | 1.4 | 9 | <1 | 24 | 10 h |
| February | 52°F | 24°F | 38.4°F | 2.99 | 0.5 | 9 | <1 | 21 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 60°F | 31°F | 45.5°F | 3.93 | 0.2 | 10 | <1 | 17 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 70°F | 40°F | 54.9°F | 4.45 | 0.0 | 10 | <1 | 6 | 13 h |
| May | 77°F | 51°F | 64.0°F | 4.50 | 0.0 | 11 | 1 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 84°F | 60°F | 72.2°F | 4.60 | 0.0 | 12 | 7 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 87°F | 65°F | 75.9°F | 5.01 | 0.0 | 13 | 14 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 86°F | 63°F | 74.5°F | 4.55 | 0.0 | 11 | 7 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 80°F | 57°F | 68.6°F | 4.32 | 0.0 | 9 | 3 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 71°F | 42°F | 56.8°F | 3.54 | 0.0 | 8 | <1 | 3 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 61°F | 32°F | 46.2°F | 3.15 | 0.0 | 8 | <1 | 20 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 52°F | 26°F | 39.0°F | 3.99 | 0.9 | 9 | <1 | 21 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 69°F | 43°F | 56.0°F | 49.03 | 3.0 | 117 | 33 | 112 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9°C | −5°C | 2.2°C | 102 mm | 4 cm |
| February | 11°C | −4°C | 3.6°C | 76 mm | 1 cm |
| March | 16°C | −1°C | 7.5°C | 100 mm | 1 cm |
| April | 21°C | 4°C | 12.7°C | 113 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 25°C | 10°C | 17.8°C | 114 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 29°C | 16°C | 22.3°C | 117 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 31°C | 18°C | 24.4°C | 127 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 30°C | 17°C | 23.6°C | 116 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 27°C | 14°C | 20.3°C | 110 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 22°C | 6°C | 13.8°C | 90 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 16°C | 0°C | 7.9°C | 80 mm | 0 cm |
| December | 11°C | −3°C | 3.9°C | 101 mm | 2 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00312740; 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 Elkin?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, September and October. Of those, October has the fewest days with rain (8).
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 USC00312740.
When is the last frost in Elkin?
In Elkin, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 15 in half of years and after May 3 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 26 in half of years and before October 14 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 151 year in 10 after May 3; 9 in 10 after March 31
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 261 year in 10 before October 14; 9 in 10 before November 6
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 194 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 217 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 2 in half of springs and before November 4 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Elkin in zone 7b in ZIP code 28621.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in North Carolina · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00312740; 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 Elkin?
In a normal year in Elkin, 33 days a year reach 90°F, 112 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 117 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 33a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 112a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 4high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 117a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 1a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00312740.
How sunny is Elkin?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Elkin, 4.3 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (78%) and February the cloudiest (70%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 72% | 2.5 |
| February | 70% | 3.1 |
| March | 71% | 4.2 |
| April | 74% | 5.3 |
| May | 73% | 5.8 |
| June | 78% | 6.3 |
| July | 77% | 5.9 |
| August | 77% | 5.4 |
| September | 75% | 4.5 |
| October | 75% | 3.6 |
| November | 77% | 2.8 |
| December | 70% | 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 Elkin need?
A normal year in Elkin brings 4,358 heating degree days, 19% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,094 cooling degree days, 21% more than the median (908). Six months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 3,775 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 904 | 0 |
| February | 746 | 0 |
| March | 605 | 1 |
| April | 312 | 9 |
| May | 99 | 68 |
| June | 5 | 219 |
| July | 0 | 338 |
| August | 1 | 294 |
| September | 39 | 145 |
| October | 274 | 20 |
| November | 566 | 0 |
| December | 808 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,358 | 1,094 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00312740. 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.
Has Elkin been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 58.5°F, 2.5°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 56.0°F. 4 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 57.8°F | +1.8°F | 41.70 | – |
| 2022 | 56.7°F | +0.7°F | 56.92 | 6.5 |
| 2023 | 57.7°F | +1.7°F | 57.32 | 0.0 |
| 2024 | 58.5°F | +2.5°F | 57.81 | 0.0 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00312740. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Elkin's climate compare?
Elkin is warmer than 22 of the other 130 places with their own NOAA record in North Carolina, and wetter than 50. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 56.0°F is warmer than 64%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Elkin 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 Elkin share this climate record?
4 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.
- Jonesville, NC2,334 people · 2 mi SE
- Boonville, NC1,215 people · 9 mi E
- Pleasant Hill, NC849 people · 2 mi W
- Ronda, NC442 people · 5 mi SW
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 Elkin's climate
What is the coldest month in Elkin?
January, with a normal high of 49°F and a normal low of 23°F. The warmest is July (87°F by day, 65°F at night).
Does it snow in Elkin?
Yes: 3 inches in a normal year, falling on 1 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (1.4 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Elkin?
July, with 5.01 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.99 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Elkin in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Elkin in zone 7b in ZIP code 28621.
How late can frost come in Elkin?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 15; in one year in ten it comes after May 3. Waiting until May 3 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
- North Wilkesboro, NC17 miles from this station, 57.2°F a year
- Yadkinville, NC20 miles from this station, 56.6°F a year
- Mount Airy, NC21 miles from this station, 55.5°F a year
- Sparta, NC21 miles from this station, 52.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made