Enka, North Carolina climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Enka's normal year runs from 25°F January nights to 85°F July afternoons, with 46.4 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 13.3°C, January lows of −4°C, July highs of 30°C, 1,178 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationEnka
- Station IDUSC00312837
- Location35.54°N 82.65°W
- Elevation2,050 ft (625 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Enka is 67°F and the normal low 41°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Enka.
- Jan 48° 25°
- Feb 53° 28°
- Mar 59° 34°
- Apr 69° 43°
- May 76° 52°
- Jun 82° 60°
- Jul 85° 63°
- Aug 84° 63°
- Sep 79° 56°
- Oct 70° 44°
- Nov 59° 34°
- Dec 51° 28°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Enka each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 85°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 25°F. The most precipitation falls in July (4.55 in), the least in February (3.09 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48°F | 25°F | 36.7°F | 3.76 | – | <1 | 24 | 10 h |
| February | 53°F | 28°F | 40.2°F | 3.09 | – | <1 | 20 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 59°F | 34°F | 46.8°F | 3.91 | – | <1 | 14 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 69°F | 43°F | 55.9°F | 3.98 | – | <1 | 3 | 13 h |
| May | 76°F | 52°F | 63.8°F | 3.92 | – | <1 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 82°F | 60°F | 71.1°F | 4.39 | – | 2 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 85°F | 63°F | 74.3°F | 4.55 | – | 5 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 84°F | 63°F | 73.4°F | 4.30 | – | 4 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 79°F | 56°F | 67.5°F | 4.32 | – | 1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 70°F | 44°F | 56.9°F | 3.16 | – | <1 | 4 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 59°F | 34°F | 46.4°F | 3.39 | – | <1 | 16 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 51°F | 28°F | 39.4°F | 3.62 | – | <1 | 21 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 68°F | 44°F | 56.0°F | 46.39 | – | 12 | 102 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9°C | −4°C | 2.6°C | 96 mm |
| February | 12°C | −2°C | 4.6°C | 78 mm |
| March | 15°C | 1°C | 8.2°C | 99 mm |
| April | 21°C | 6°C | 13.3°C | 101 mm |
| May | 24°C | 11°C | 17.7°C | 100 mm |
| June | 28°C | 16°C | 21.7°C | 112 mm |
| July | 30°C | 17°C | 23.5°C | 116 mm |
| August | 29°C | 17°C | 23.0°C | 109 mm |
| September | 26°C | 13°C | 19.7°C | 110 mm |
| October | 21°C | 7°C | 13.8°C | 80 mm |
| November | 15°C | 1°C | 8.0°C | 86 mm |
| December | 11°C | −2°C | 4.1°C | 92 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Candler (1 mi W) (3 miles away), gets 10 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00312837; 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.
Which months are mildest at Enka?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, August, 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 USC00312837.
When is the last frost at Enka?
In Enka, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 12 in half of years and after April 27 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 23 in half of years and before October 12 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 121 year in 10 after April 27; 9 in 10 after March 29
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 231 year in 10 before October 12; 9 in 10 before November 5
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 195 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 216 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 31 in half of springs and before November 1 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Enka in zone 7b in ZIP code 28806, 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 USC00312837; 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 at Enka?
In a normal year in Enka, 12 days a year reach 90°F and 102 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 12a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 102a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 6high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1942) is 99°F, on June 18, 1944; the lowest is −8°F, on January 24, 1963.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2013, with 65.50 in; the snowiest season is 1968–69, with 18.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00312837; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00312837. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Enka?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Enka, 4.4 kWh per square metre a day. November is the sunniest month (77%) and February the cloudiest (70%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 73% | 2.6 |
| February | 70% | 3.3 |
| March | 71% | 4.3 |
| April | 74% | 5.4 |
| May | 74% | 5.9 |
| June | 76% | 6.2 |
| July | 75% | 5.8 |
| August | 76% | 5.4 |
| September | 76% | 4.7 |
| October | 77% | 3.8 |
| November | 77% | 3.0 |
| December | 71% | 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 many heating and cooling degree days does Enka record?
A normal year at Enka brings 4,186 heating degree days, 22% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 941 cooling degree days, 4% 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 3,680 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 877 | 0 |
| February | 694 | 0 |
| March | 565 | 0 |
| April | 286 | 11 |
| May | 100 | 61 |
| June | 7 | 190 |
| July | 1 | 287 |
| August | 1 | 261 |
| September | 39 | 114 |
| October | 266 | 15 |
| November | 559 | 1 |
| December | 792 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,186 | 941 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00312837. 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.
Have recent years at Enka been warmer than normal?
2021 averaged 56.0°F, equal to the 1991-2020 normal of 56.0°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 56.0°F | at normal | 53.57 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00312837. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Enka's climate compare?
Enka is warmer than 22 of the 131 places with their own NOAA record in North Carolina, and wetter than 18. 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, Enka 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 Enka share this climate record?
2 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.
- Woodfin, NC8,158 people · 8 mi NE
- Emma, NC2,757 people · 5 mi NE
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 Enka's climate
What is the coldest month at Enka?
January, with a normal high of 48°F and a normal low of 25°F. The warmest is July (85°F by day, 63°F at night).
Does it snow at Enka?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Candler (1 mi W) (3 miles away), records 10 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Enka?
July, with 4.55 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 3.09 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Enka in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Enka in zone 7b in ZIP code 28806, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Enka?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 12; in one year in ten it comes after April 27. Waiting until April 27 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
- Candler (1 mi W), NC2 miles from this station, 55.1°F a year
- Bent Creek, NC4 miles from this station, 54.4°F a year
- Fletcher, NC9 miles from this station, 55.2°F a year
- Asheville, NC10 miles from this station, 57.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made