Highlands, NC Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Explore NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 climate normals → and a clearly labeled PlainClimate comfort calculation
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Highlands's primary NOAA station, HIGHLANDS.
The climate verdict for Highlands
Water is the standout signal in Highlands, North Carolina: 88.3 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 51°F. At 44/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 10% of scores.
- 51°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 44/100
- comfort score, above 10% of station-mapped location scores
- 88.3"
- annual precipitation · 10" snow
- 168 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Highlands: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00314055 · Highlands, NC 51°F mean · 88.3" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-WET · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 51°F
- RANK-MID #3,019
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Skamania Fish H…
- PRCP-WET 88.3"
- SWING-MID 35°F
- COMF-LOW 44/100
- LOAD-HEAT 5,369 HDD
- STN-1 USC00314055
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Skamania Fish Hatchery, WA (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every NC station list.
- Highlands (this station) 51°F
- Cold Quilcene, WA 51°F
- Hot Vancouver, WA 51°F
- Near Skamania Fish H…, WA 51°F
- Near Falls City, OR 51°F
Climate Living Index · Highlands
Highlands: 43/100 · grade D
Highlands publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Highlands, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 44/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Snowfall burden | 10.2 inches/year | 63/100 · C |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 127 calendar days | 60/100 · C |
| Annual temperature balance | 50.9°F · 16.6° from 67.5°F | 44/100 · D |
| Frost-free season | 168 days/year | 40/100 · D |
| Precipitation balance | 88.3 in · 53.3 from 35 in | 0/100 · F |
Highlands · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Highlands is a temperate Köppen climate: Cfb
Coldest-month mean 33.1°F and warmest-month mean 67.7°F place this station in temperate, no dry season, warm summer climates (Cfb). Class Cfb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: temperate, specifically temperate, no dry season, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Cfb
- Group
- Temperate
- Warmest month
- 67.7°F
- Coldest month
- 33.1°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Highlands sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Highlands's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 44th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Top 1% wettest
- Highlands's annual total ranks in the wetter third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 83%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Highlands is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Highlands compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Highlands's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
44 10th percentile score exceeds 10% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). This entry sits in this band.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Highlands's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 94 complete annual observations from 1877 to 2025, HIGHLANDS changed little at a fitted rate of 0.01°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Highlands primary station fitted change +0.01 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42°F (6°C) | 24°F (-5°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 8.0" | 2.6" | 24.1 | 0.0 |
| February | 46°F (8°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 6.9" | 2.0" | 20.6 | 0.0 |
| March | 54°F (12°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 7.6" | 1.8" | 16.1 | 0.0 |
| April | 62°F (17°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 7.0" | 0.0" | 7.5 | 0.0 |
| May | 69°F (21°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 6.6" | 0.2" | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| June | 75°F (24°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 7.2" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| July | 78°F (25°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 7.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| August | 76°F (24°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 7.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| September | 71°F (22°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 8.0" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| October | 63°F (17°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 6.5" | 0.0" | 5.8 | 0.0 |
| November | 53°F (12°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 7.8" | 0.1" | 17.1 | 0.0 |
| December | 45°F (7°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 8.7" | 3.5" | 22.5 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 78°F around July 11, short of 90°F on every date, while 127 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 24°F near January 16.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 18, then returns to freezing around November 13, covering 127 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is July 27, when 55% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is October 18 at 35%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 163 wet dates a year.
The widest day
April 17 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 24°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Highlands.
Where Highlands Stands Nationally
This is one of the wettest normals climates ranked: about 88 inches of precipitation in a normal year, a total fewer than one station in ten surpasses.
Highlands earns one nationally notable standing (outer quintile) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations, middle-of-the-pack metrics stay silent here.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 2.6"
13.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.0"
13.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.8"
13.9 days with precipitation
12.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.2"
13.9 days with precipitation
15.4 days with precipitation
16.9 days with precipitation
15.8 days with precipitation
11.8 days with precipitation
10.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
11.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.5"
14.1 days with precipitation
Highlands spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 24% of the annual total and December through February 27%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Highlands has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 34.6°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: December averages 8.7" and October 6.5". The three wettest months together take 28% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
When it rains in Highlands, it arrives in quantity
88.3" of precipitation falls across only about 163 wet days here, averaging 0.54 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.
- Days with measurable precipitation
- about 163 a year, 45% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.54 inches
- Most wet days
- July, about 17
- Fewest wet days
- October, about 10
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.
Snow reaches Highlands, but rarely amounts to much
The normals record 10.2 inches of snow a year here, most likely in December. That is a real but marginal amount: enough that snow is part of the local record, not enough to define the winter.
A figure in this range usually reflects a handful of events that melt quickly rather than a season of accumulation; about 5 days a year record any measurable snow at all.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. An average across thirty years can smooth away a single heavy winter, so a small annual figure does not mean a significant snowfall is impossible.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 15
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 30
50% probability date
Growing Season
168 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
5,369
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
242
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside NC closest to Highlands on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (51°F here).
- Battle Ground, WA 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Belington, WV 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Blaine, WA 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Bland, VA 51°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (88.3" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Klawock, AK 89.2" · 0.9" off
- Government Camp, OR 89.8" · 1.5" off
- Tillamook, OR 89.8" · 1.5" off
- Paauilo, HI 90.4" · 2.1" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Highlands's climate pattern fits together
heating led · wet · mid swing
Highlands's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 5,369 annual heating degree days against 242 for cooling. Its 34.6°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Highlands's frost-free season lasts about 168 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Highlands's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 34.6°F. The annual average is 51°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Alongside its heating load, Highlands carries 88.3 inches of precipitation in a normal year, inside PlainClimate's wet range. Annual snowfall totals 10.2 inches. That distinction matters because a wet annual total can arrive as rain, snow, or a mixture at different times.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Highlands's primary station, so the winter figures are a thirty-year average and not a floor: a single hard season can run well below them. Treat each band as a descriptive range for Highlands, not an official NOAA class or a year-ahead forecast.
Questions about Highlands's climate
How much rain does Highlands get? ▼
How cold does Highlands get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Highlands? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Highlands's primary station: HIGHLANDS (USC00314055). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 3731360). Match rule for Highlands: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Highlands comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.