Old Fort, North Carolina climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Old Fort's normal year runs from 25°F January nights to 85°F July afternoons, with 55.9 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 13.1°C, January lows of −4°C, July highs of 29°C, 1,421 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationOld Fort Agricultural (3 mi W)
- Station IDUSC00316380
- Location35.67°N 82.12°W
- Elevation1,425 ft (434 m)
- From the center4 miles
- Population833
On October 14, the normal high in Old Fort is 71°F and the normal low 44°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Old Fort.
- Jan 50° 25°
- Feb 54° 26°
- Mar 60° 33°
- Apr 70° 41°
- May 76° 50°
- Jun 82° 59°
- Jul 85° 63°
- Aug 84° 62°
- Sep 78° 55°
- Oct 71° 43°
- Nov 61° 32°
- Dec 52° 27°
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 Old Fort 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 August (6.18 in), the least in February (3.56 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50°F | 25°F | 37.2°F | 4.20 | – | <1 | 24 | 10 h |
| February | 54°F | 26°F | 39.9°F | 3.56 | – | <1 | 21 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 60°F | 33°F | 46.7°F | 4.17 | – | <1 | 15 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 70°F | 41°F | 55.4°F | 4.52 | – | <1 | 5 | 13 h |
| May | 76°F | 50°F | 62.6°F | 4.85 | – | <1 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 82°F | 59°F | 70.2°F | 5.38 | – | 3 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 85°F | 63°F | 73.7°F | 4.81 | – | 5 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 84°F | 62°F | 72.5°F | 6.18 | – | 2 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 78°F | 55°F | 66.6°F | 5.74 | – | 1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 71°F | 43°F | 56.8°F | 4.06 | – | <1 | 3 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 61°F | 32°F | 46.6°F | 3.94 | – | <1 | 19 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 52°F | 27°F | 39.5°F | 4.52 | – | <1 | 21 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 68°F | 43°F | 55.6°F | 55.93 | – | 11 | 108 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10°C | −4°C | 2.9°C | 107 mm |
| February | 12°C | −3°C | 4.4°C | 90 mm |
| March | 16°C | 1°C | 8.2°C | 106 mm |
| April | 21°C | 5°C | 13.0°C | 115 mm |
| May | 24°C | 10°C | 17.0°C | 123 mm |
| June | 28°C | 15°C | 21.2°C | 137 mm |
| July | 29°C | 17°C | 23.2°C | 122 mm |
| August | 29°C | 16°C | 22.5°C | 157 mm |
| September | 26°C | 13°C | 19.2°C | 146 mm |
| October | 21°C | 6°C | 13.8°C | 103 mm |
| November | 16°C | 0°C | 8.1°C | 100 mm |
| December | 11°C | −3°C | 4.2°C | 115 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Marion (7 miles away), gets 7 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00316380; 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 Old Fort?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, July, 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 USC00316380.
When is the last frost in Old Fort?
In Old Fort, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 21 in half of years and after May 9 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 23 in half of years and before October 9 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 211 year in 10 after May 9; 9 in 10 after April 6
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 231 year in 10 before October 9; 9 in 10 before November 5
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 183 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 207 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 7 in half of springs and before November 1 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Old Fort in zone 7b in ZIP code 28762, 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 USC00316380; 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 Old Fort?
In a normal year in Old Fort, 11 days a year reach 90°F and 108 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 11a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 108a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 3high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00316380.
How sunny is Old Fort?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Old Fort, 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 much heating and cooling does Old Fort need?
A normal year in Old Fort brings 4,227 heating degree days, 21% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 841 cooling degree days, 7% fewer 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 3,513 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 862 | 0 |
| February | 703 | 0 |
| March | 570 | 1 |
| April | 295 | 7 |
| May | 118 | 45 |
| June | 10 | 164 |
| July | 0 | 270 |
| August | 1 | 234 |
| September | 56 | 104 |
| October | 272 | 16 |
| November | 551 | 1 |
| December | 790 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,227 | 841 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00316380. 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 Old Fort been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 56.3°F, 0.6°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 55.6°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 56.2°F | +0.6°F | 57.20 |
| 2022 | 55.7°F | +0.1°F | 59.86 |
| 2023 | 56.6°F | +1.0°F | 54.33 |
| 2024 | 57.2°F | +1.6°F | 68.87 |
| 2025 | 56.3°F | +0.6°F | 56.54 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00316380. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Old Fort's climate compare?
Old Fort is warmer than 20 of the other 130 places with their own NOAA record in North Carolina, and wetter than 97. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 55.6°F is warmer than 62%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Old Fort 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 Old Fort's climate
What is the coldest month in Old Fort?
January, with a normal high of 50°F and a normal low of 25°F. The warmest is July (85°F by day, 63°F at night).
Does it snow in Old Fort?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Old Fort's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Marion (7 miles away), records 7 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Old Fort?
August, with 6.18 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 3.56 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Old Fort in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Old Fort in zone 7b in ZIP code 28762, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Old Fort?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 21; in one year in ten it comes after May 9. Waiting until May 9 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
- Marion, NC7 miles from this station, 57.9°F a year
- Mount Mitchell, NC11 miles from this station, 42.9°F a year
- Celo (2 mi S), NC12 miles from this station, 52.2°F a year
- North Fork 2, NC12 miles from this station, 56.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made