Henderson, North Carolina climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Henderson's normal year runs from 26°F January nights to 90°F July afternoons, with 48.6 inches of precipitation and 2 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 14.6°C, January lows of −3°C, July highs of 32°C, 1,235 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationHenderson (2 mi NNW)
- Station IDUSC00313969
- Location36.35°N 78.41°W
- Elevation480 ft (146 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population14,807
On October 23, the normal high in Henderson is 70°F and the normal low 42°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 Henderson.
- Jan 51° 26°
- Feb 54° 27°
- Mar 62° 34°
- Apr 73° 43°
- May 79° 53°
- Jun 87° 62°
- Jul 90° 67°
- Aug 88° 65°
- Sep 82° 58°
- Oct 72° 45°
- Nov 62° 34°
- Dec 54° 29°
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 Henderson each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 90°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 26°F. The most precipitation falls in August (5.13 in), the least in February (3.11 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51°F | 26°F | 38.2°F | 3.67 | 1.2 | 9 | <1 | 24 | 10 h |
| February | 54°F | 27°F | 40.7°F | 3.11 | 0.3 | 8 | <1 | 22 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 62°F | 34°F | 47.9°F | 4.17 | 0.1 | 9 | <1 | 15 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 73°F | 43°F | 57.6°F | 3.86 | 0.0 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 13 h |
| May | 79°F | 53°F | 66.3°F | 3.90 | 0.0 | 10 | 2 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 87°F | 62°F | 74.3°F | 4.48 | 0.0 | 9 | 9 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 90°F | 67°F | 78.4°F | 4.43 | 0.0 | 10 | 17 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 88°F | 65°F | 76.4°F | 5.13 | 0.0 | 10 | 12 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 82°F | 58°F | 70.3°F | 4.78 | 0.0 | 8 | 4 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 72°F | 45°F | 58.7°F | 3.57 | 0.0 | 8 | <1 | 3 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 62°F | 34°F | 48.3°F | 3.64 | 0.0 | 8 | <1 | 16 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 54°F | 29°F | 41.1°F | 3.89 | 0.0 | 10 | <1 | 22 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 71°F | 45°F | 58.2°F | 48.63 | 1.6 | 107 | 43 | 106 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10°C | −3°C | 3.4°C | 93 mm | 3 cm |
| February | 12°C | −3°C | 4.8°C | 79 mm | 1 cm |
| March | 17°C | 1°C | 8.8°C | 106 mm | 0 cm |
| April | 23°C | 6°C | 14.2°C | 98 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 26°C | 12°C | 19.1°C | 99 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 30°C | 17°C | 23.5°C | 114 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 32°C | 19°C | 25.8°C | 113 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 31°C | 18°C | 24.7°C | 130 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 28°C | 15°C | 21.3°C | 121 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 22°C | 7°C | 14.8°C | 91 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 17°C | 1°C | 9.1°C | 92 mm | 0 cm |
| December | 12°C | −2°C | 5.1°C | 99 mm | 0 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00313969; 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 Henderson?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, 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 USC00313969.
When is the last frost in Henderson?
In Henderson, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 16 in half of years and after April 30 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 26 in half of years and before October 13 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 161 year in 10 after April 30; 9 in 10 after March 31
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 261 year in 10 before October 13; 9 in 10 before November 7
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 193 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 217 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 1 in half of springs and before November 4 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Henderson in zone 7b in ZIP code 27536. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Henderson's NOAA station is in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 7°F (17 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in North Carolina · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00313969; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. 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 Henderson?
In a normal year in Henderson, 43 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 106 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 107 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 43a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 106a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 4high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 107a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 1a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1893) is 106°F, on July 21, 1926; the lowest is −8°F, on January 28, 1940.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2013, with 62.89 in; the snowiest season is 1947–48, with 30.8 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00313969; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00313969. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Henderson?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Henderson, 4.4 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (81%) and February the cloudiest (72%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 74% | 2.5 |
| February | 72% | 3.2 |
| March | 72% | 4.2 |
| April | 77% | 5.4 |
| May | 77% | 5.9 |
| June | 81% | 6.4 |
| July | 81% | 6.1 |
| August | 80% | 5.5 |
| September | 76% | 4.5 |
| October | 76% | 3.6 |
| November | 78% | 2.8 |
| December | 73% | 2.2 |
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 Henderson need?
A normal year in Henderson brings 3,890 heating degree days, 28% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,440 cooling degree days, 59% 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 4,341 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 831 | 0 |
| February | 682 | 0 |
| March | 536 | 5 |
| April | 255 | 33 |
| May | 78 | 118 |
| June | 8 | 288 |
| July | 0 | 415 |
| August | 1 | 356 |
| September | 29 | 188 |
| October | 228 | 34 |
| November | 503 | 2 |
| December | 740 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 3,890 | 1,440 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00313969. 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 Henderson been warmer than normal lately?
2021 averaged 59.8°F, 1.6°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 58.2°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 59.8°F | +1.6°F | 51.38 | – |
Over 77 complete years from 1894 to 2024, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 1.8°F per century (+0.10°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00313969; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Henderson's climate compare?
Henderson is warmer than 41 of the other 130 places with their own NOAA record in North Carolina, and wetter than 47. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 58.2°F is warmer than 69%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Henderson 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 Henderson 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.
- South Henderson, NC1,274 people · 3 mi S
- Kittrell, NC125 people · 9 mi S
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Henderson's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Henderson. This page uses Henderson (2 mi NNW); the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From the center | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henderson (4 mi NNE) USC00313971 | 3 mi NE | 500 ft | 59.7°F | 30°F | 89°F | – | – | March 28 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Henderson's climate
What is the coldest month in Henderson?
January, with a normal high of 51°F and a normal low of 26°F. The warmest is July (90°F by day, 67°F at night).
Does it snow in Henderson?
Yes: 2 inches in a normal year, falling on 2 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (1.2 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Henderson?
August, with 5.13 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 3.11 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Henderson in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Henderson in zone 7b in ZIP code 27536. By the same method at Henderson's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 7°F (17 years, 1991-2020): zone 7b.
How late can frost come in Henderson?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 16; in one year in ten it comes after April 30. Waiting until April 30 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
- Oxford, NC12 miles from this station, 59.4°F a year
- Louisburg, NC18 miles from this station, 59.1°F a year
- John H Kerr Dam, VA19 miles from this station, 60.3°F a year
- Clarksville, VA21 miles from this station, 59.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made