Fairfield, North Carolina climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Fairfield's normal year runs from 29°F January nights to 89°F July afternoons, with 54.1 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 15.7°C, January lows of −1°C, July highs of 32°C, 1,374 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationFairfield
- Station IDUSC00312940
- Location35.54°N 76.31°W
- Elevation5 ft (2 m)
- Population (census place)276
On October 22, the normal high in Fairfield is 72°F and the normal low 46°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Fairfield.
- Jan 53° 29°
- Feb 56° 31°
- Mar 63° 35°
- Apr 73° 45°
- May 79° 56°
- Jun 86° 65°
- Jul 89° 69°
- Aug 87° 67°
- Sep 82° 62°
- Oct 74° 49°
- Nov 65° 39°
- Dec 57° 33°
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 Fairfield each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 89°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 29°F. The most precipitation falls in August (6.47 in), the least in February (3.09 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 53°F | 29°F | 41.4°F | 4.26 | – | <1 | 22 | 10 h |
| February | 56°F | 31°F | 43.7°F | 3.09 | – | <1 | 18 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 63°F | 35°F | 49.2°F | 3.62 | – | <1 | 13 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 73°F | 45°F | 58.8°F | 3.46 | – | <1 | 4 | 13 h |
| May | 79°F | 56°F | 67.6°F | 4.43 | – | 2 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 86°F | 65°F | 75.1°F | 5.24 | – | 10 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 89°F | 69°F | 79.2°F | 5.99 | – | 15 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 87°F | 67°F | 77.3°F | 6.47 | – | 10 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 82°F | 62°F | 72.0°F | 5.90 | – | 2 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 74°F | 49°F | 61.4°F | 3.89 | – | <1 | 1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 65°F | 39°F | 51.9°F | 3.84 | – | <1 | 10 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 57°F | 33°F | 44.7°F | 3.91 | – | <1 | 17 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 72°F | 48°F | 60.2°F | 54.10 | – | 39 | 86 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12°C | −1°C | 5.2°C | 108 mm |
| February | 14°C | −1°C | 6.5°C | 78 mm |
| March | 17°C | 2°C | 9.6°C | 92 mm |
| April | 23°C | 7°C | 14.9°C | 88 mm |
| May | 26°C | 13°C | 19.8°C | 113 mm |
| June | 30°C | 18°C | 23.9°C | 133 mm |
| July | 32°C | 21°C | 26.2°C | 152 mm |
| August | 31°C | 20°C | 25.2°C | 164 mm |
| September | 28°C | 17°C | 22.2°C | 150 mm |
| October | 23°C | 9°C | 16.3°C | 99 mm |
| November | 18°C | 4°C | 11.1°C | 98 mm |
| December | 14°C | 0°C | 7.1°C | 99 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Belhaven (16 miles away), gets 1 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00312940; 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 Fairfield?
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 USC00312940.
When is the last frost in Fairfield?
In Fairfield, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 7 in half of years and after April 21 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 4 in half of years and before October 22 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 71 year in 10 after April 21; 9 in 10 after March 23
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 41 year in 10 before October 22; 9 in 10 before November 21
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 211 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 235 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 28 in half of springs and before November 15 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Fairfield in zone 8b in ZIP code 27826, 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 USC00312940; 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 Fairfield?
In a normal year in Fairfield, 39 days a year reach 90°F and 86 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 39a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 86a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 1high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00312940.
How sunny is Fairfield?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Fairfield, 4.4 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (80%) and February the cloudiest (73%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 74% | 2.6 |
| February | 73% | 3.3 |
| March | 73% | 4.3 |
| April | 78% | 5.5 |
| May | 78% | 6.0 |
| June | 80% | 6.2 |
| July | 80% | 6.0 |
| August | 79% | 5.4 |
| September | 76% | 4.5 |
| October | 77% | 3.7 |
| November | 78% | 2.9 |
| December | 74% | 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 Fairfield need?
A normal year in Fairfield brings 3,298 heating degree days, 39% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,571 cooling degree days, 73% 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 4,709 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 734 | 1 |
| February | 596 | 0 |
| March | 492 | 3 |
| April | 217 | 31 |
| May | 49 | 130 |
| June | 2 | 307 |
| July | 0 | 440 |
| August | 0 | 380 |
| September | 14 | 223 |
| October | 164 | 52 |
| November | 400 | 5 |
| December | 630 | 1 |
| Year (annual) | 3,298 | 1,571 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00312940. 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 Fairfield's climate compare?
Fairfield is warmer than 71 of the other 130 places with their own NOAA record in North Carolina, and wetter than 89. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 60.2°F is warmer than 75%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Fairfield 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.
Questions about Fairfield's climate
What is the coldest month in Fairfield?
January, with a normal high of 53°F and a normal low of 29°F. The warmest is July (89°F by day, 69°F at night).
Does it snow in Fairfield?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Fairfield's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Belhaven (16 miles away), records 1 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Fairfield?
August, with 6.47 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 3.09 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Fairfield in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Fairfield in zone 8b in ZIP code 27826, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Fairfield?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 7; in one year in ten it comes after April 21. Waiting until April 21 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
- Swanquarter Ferry, NC10 miles from this station, 63.1°F a year
- Belhaven, NC16 miles from this station, 61.6°F a year
- Columbia, NC16 miles from this station, 60.8°F a year
- Aurora, NC28 miles from this station, 63.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made