Pfafftown, North Carolina climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Pfafftown's normal year runs from 26°F January nights to 88°F July afternoons, with 47.3 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 14.2°C, January lows of −3°C, July highs of 31°C, 1,201 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationPfafftown
- Station IDUSC00316686
- Location36.16°N 80.37°W
- Elevation950 ft (290 m)
On October 24, the normal high in Pfafftown is 68°F and the normal low 42°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Pfafftown.
- Jan 49° 26°
- Feb 53° 27°
- Mar 61° 34°
- Apr 71° 43°
- May 78° 53°
- Jun 85° 63°
- Jul 88° 68°
- Aug 87° 67°
- Sep 81° 59°
- Oct 71° 46°
- Nov 61° 35°
- Dec 52° 28°
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 Pfafftown each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 88°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 26°F. The most precipitation falls in August (4.74 in), the least in December (3.11 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49°F | 26°F | 37.4°F | 3.64 | – | <1 | 22 | 10 h |
| February | 53°F | 27°F | 39.8°F | 3.21 | – | <1 | 19 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 61°F | 34°F | 47.4°F | 3.65 | – | <1 | 13 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 71°F | 43°F | 56.7°F | 4.50 | – | <1 | 4 | 13 h |
| May | 78°F | 53°F | 65.6°F | 4.22 | – | 2 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 85°F | 63°F | 74.0°F | 4.68 | – | 8 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 88°F | 68°F | 78.3°F | 4.06 | – | 15 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 87°F | 67°F | 76.7°F | 4.74 | – | 13 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 81°F | 59°F | 69.8°F | 4.54 | – | 4 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 71°F | 46°F | 58.5°F | 3.17 | – | 1 | 2 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 61°F | 35°F | 47.7°F | 3.75 | – | <1 | 14 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 52°F | 28°F | 39.9°F | 3.11 | – | <1 | 24 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 70°F | 46°F | 57.6°F | 47.27 | – | 43 | 98 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9°C | −3°C | 3.0°C | 92 mm |
| February | 12°C | −3°C | 4.3°C | 82 mm |
| March | 16°C | 1°C | 8.6°C | 93 mm |
| April | 21°C | 6°C | 13.7°C | 114 mm |
| May | 26°C | 12°C | 18.7°C | 107 mm |
| June | 29°C | 17°C | 23.3°C | 119 mm |
| July | 31°C | 20°C | 25.7°C | 103 mm |
| August | 30°C | 19°C | 24.8°C | 120 mm |
| September | 27°C | 15°C | 21.0°C | 115 mm |
| October | 22°C | 8°C | 14.7°C | 81 mm |
| November | 16°C | 2°C | 8.7°C | 95 mm |
| December | 11°C | −2°C | 4.4°C | 79 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Yadkinville (10 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 USC00316686; 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 Pfafftown?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, 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 USC00316686.
When is the last frost at Pfafftown?
In Pfafftown, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 9 in half of years and after April 23 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 31 in half of years and before October 20 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 91 year in 10 after April 23; 9 in 10 after March 25
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 311 year in 10 before October 20; 9 in 10 before November 11
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 204 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 226 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 28 in half of springs and before November 8 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Pfafftown in zone 7b in ZIP code 27040, 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 USC00316686; 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 Pfafftown?
In a normal year in Pfafftown, 43 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more) and 98 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 43a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 98a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 3high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00316686.
How sunny is it at Pfafftown?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Pfafftown, 4.3 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (78%) and February the cloudiest (70%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 72% | 2.5 |
| February | 70% | 3.1 |
| March | 71% | 4.2 |
| April | 74% | 5.3 |
| May | 73% | 5.8 |
| June | 78% | 6.3 |
| July | 77% | 5.9 |
| August | 77% | 5.4 |
| September | 75% | 4.5 |
| October | 75% | 3.6 |
| November | 77% | 2.8 |
| December | 70% | 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 Pfafftown record?
A normal year at Pfafftown brings 4,036 heating degree days, 25% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,382 cooling degree days, 52% 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 4,176 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 857 | 0 |
| February | 705 | 0 |
| March | 549 | 2 |
| April | 263 | 14 |
| May | 88 | 107 |
| June | 5 | 273 |
| July | 0 | 412 |
| August | 0 | 363 |
| September | 36 | 180 |
| October | 233 | 30 |
| November | 522 | 1 |
| December | 778 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,036 | 1,382 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00316686. 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 Pfafftown been warmer than normal?
2021 averaged 57.4°F, 0.2°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 57.6°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 57.4°F | −0.2°F | 41.02 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00316686. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Pfafftown's climate compare?
Pfafftown is warmer than 35 of the 131 places with their own NOAA record in North Carolina, and wetter than 32. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 57.6°F is warmer than 68%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Pfafftown 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 Pfafftown share this climate record?
3 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.
- Clemmons, NC22,471 people · 9 mi S
- Lewisville, NC14,203 people · 5 mi SW
- Bethania, NC361 people · 3 mi NE
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 Pfafftown's climate
What is the coldest month at Pfafftown?
January, with a normal high of 49°F and a normal low of 26°F. The warmest is July (88°F by day, 68°F at night).
Does it snow at Pfafftown?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Yadkinville (10 miles away), records 7 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Pfafftown?
August, with 4.74 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is December with 3.11 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Pfafftown in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Pfafftown in zone 7b in ZIP code 27040, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Pfafftown?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 9; in one year in ten it comes after April 23. Waiting until April 23 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
- Rural Hall, NC6 miles from this station, 57.4°F a year
- Winston-Salem, NC8 miles from this station, 59.5°F a year
- Yadkinville, NC10 miles from this station, 56.6°F a year
- Danbury, NC22 miles from this station, 57.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made