Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Grandfather Mountain's normal year runs from 21°F January nights to 72°F July afternoons, with 64.8 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.6°C, January lows of −6°C, July highs of 22°C, 1,645 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationGrandfather Mountain
- Station IDUSC00313565
- Location36.10°N 81.83°W
- Elevation5,280 ft (1,609 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Grandfather Mountain is 55°F and the normal low 39°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 38%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Grandfather Mountain.
- Jan 37° 21°
- Feb 40° 23°
- Mar 46° 29°
- Apr 55° 38°
- May 62° 47°
- Jun 69° 54°
- Jul 72° 58°
- Aug 71° 57°
- Sep 66° 52°
- Oct 57° 42°
- Nov 48° 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 at Grandfather Mountain each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 72°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 21°F. The most precipitation falls in September (6.45 in), the least in February (3.93 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37°F | 21°F | 29.1°F | 5.01 | 15 | <1 | 24 | 10 h |
| February | 40°F | 23°F | 31.3°F | 3.93 | 14 | <1 | 21 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 46°F | 29°F | 37.5°F | 5.38 | 14 | <1 | 18 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 55°F | 38°F | 46.6°F | 5.90 | 13 | <1 | 9 | 13 h |
| May | 62°F | 47°F | 54.5°F | 6.05 | 15 | <1 | 2 | 14 h |
| June | 69°F | 54°F | 61.4°F | 6.36 | 16 | <1 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 72°F | 58°F | 64.8°F | 6.21 | 16 | <1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 71°F | 57°F | 63.6°F | 5.76 | 16 | <1 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 66°F | 52°F | 58.5°F | 6.45 | 12 | <1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 57°F | 42°F | 49.2°F | 4.98 | 12 | <1 | 5 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 48°F | 32°F | 40.0°F | 4.19 | 11 | <1 | 14 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 42°F | 26°F | 33.7°F | 4.53 | 13 | <1 | 22 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 55°F | 40°F | 47.5°F | 64.75 | 167 | <1 | 115 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3°C | −6°C | −1.6°C | 127 mm |
| February | 4°C | −5°C | −0.4°C | 100 mm |
| March | 8°C | −1°C | 3.1°C | 137 mm |
| April | 13°C | 3°C | 8.1°C | 150 mm |
| May | 17°C | 8°C | 12.5°C | 154 mm |
| June | 20°C | 12°C | 16.3°C | 162 mm |
| July | 22°C | 14°C | 18.2°C | 158 mm |
| August | 21°C | 14°C | 17.6°C | 146 mm |
| September | 19°C | 11°C | 14.7°C | 164 mm |
| October | 14°C | 5°C | 9.6°C | 126 mm |
| November | 9°C | 0°C | 4.4°C | 106 mm |
| December | 5°C | −4°C | 0.9°C | 115 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Banner Elk (5 miles away), gets 31 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00313565; 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 Grandfather Mountain?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (12).
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 USC00313565.
When is the last frost at Grandfather Mountain?
In Grandfather Mountain, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 5 in half of years and after May 20 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 13 in half of years and before September 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
- May 51 year in 10 after May 20; 9 in 10 after April 20
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 131 year in 10 before September 27; 9 in 10 before October 25
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 160 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 178 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 26 in half of springs and before October 22 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Grandfather Mountain in zone 6b in ZIP code 28646, 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 USC00313565; 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 Grandfather Mountain?
In a normal year in Grandfather Mountain, a 90°F day is rare, 115 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 167 days bring measurable precipitation.
- 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
- 115a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 32high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 167a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1955) is 85°F, on July 2, 2012; the lowest is −32°F, on January 21, 1985.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2018, with 110.67 in; the snowiest season is 1997–98, with 111.2 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00313565; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00313565. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Grandfather Mountain?
Over a year 72% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Grandfather Mountain, 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 many heating and cooling degree days does Grandfather Mountain record?
A normal year at Grandfather Mountain brings 6,455 heating degree days, 20% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 103 cooling degree days, 89% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,871 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,111 | 0 |
| February | 944 | 0 |
| March | 853 | 0 |
| April | 554 | 0 |
| May | 328 | 2 |
| June | 127 | 17 |
| July | 51 | 43 |
| August | 75 | 32 |
| September | 203 | 8 |
| October | 491 | 1 |
| November | 750 | 0 |
| December | 970 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,455 | 103 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00313565. 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 Grandfather Mountain been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 46.2°F, 1.3°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 47.5°F. 2 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 48.1°F | +0.6°F | 60.06 |
| 2022 | 47.4°F | −0.1°F | 60.05 |
| 2023 | 47.6°F | +0.1°F | 60.87 |
| 2025 | 46.2°F | −1.3°F | 55.12 |
Over 30 complete years from 1965 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 6.0°F per century (+0.33°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00313565; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Grandfather Mountain's climate compare?
Grandfather Mountain is warmer than 1 of the 131 places with their own NOAA record in North Carolina, and wetter than 121. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 47.5°F is warmer than 30%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Grandfather Mountain is Dfb: continental, no dry season, warm 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 Grandfather Mountain 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.
- Linville, NC437 people · 3 mi SW
- Grandfather Village, NC99 people · 1 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 Grandfather Mountain's climate
What is the coldest month at Grandfather Mountain?
January, with a normal high of 37°F and a normal low of 21°F. The warmest is July (72°F by day, 58°F at night).
Does it snow at Grandfather Mountain?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Banner Elk (5 miles away), records 31 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Grandfather Mountain?
September, with 6.45 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 3.93 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Grandfather Mountain in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Grandfather Mountain in zone 6b in ZIP code 28646, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Grandfather Mountain?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 5; in one year in ten it comes after May 20. Waiting until May 20 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
- Banner Elk, NC5 miles from this station, 50.1°F a year
- Beech Mountain, NC7 miles from this station, 45.8°F a year
- Blowing Rock, NC8 miles from this station, 49.8°F a year
- Flat Springs (1 mi E), NC12 miles from this station, 52.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made