Sapelo Island, GA Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, plus PlainClimate's derived comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Sapelo Island's primary NOAA station, SAPELO IS.
The climate verdict for Sapelo Island
Water is the standout signal in Sapelo Island, Georgia: 50.0 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 68°F. It scores 100/100 for climate comfort (excellent), putting it in the top third of station-mapped location scores and exceeding 99% of them.
- 68°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 100/100
- comfort score, above 99% of station-mapped location scores
- 50.0"
- precipitation, annual total
- 302 days
- frost-free growing season
Sapelo Island: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00097808 · Sapelo Island, GA 68°F mean · 50.0" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-WARM · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-MID · COMF-TOP · LOAD-MIX · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 68°F
- RANK-WARM #6,381
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Austin Bergstrom
- PRCP-MID 50.0"
- SWING-MID 31°F
- COMF-TOP 100/100
- LOAD-MIX H/C balanced
- STN-1 USC00097808
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Austin Bergstrom, TX (+ 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 GA station list.
- Sapelo Island (this station) 68°F
- Hot Marrero, LA 68°F
- Near Austin Bergstrom, TX 68°F
- Near Green Valley, AZ 68°F
- Near Gulfport Naval…, MS 68°F
Sapelo Island sits in Georgia, the #6 hottest U.S. state at 63.4°F statewide annual average - see all 50 hottest states ranked by NOAA normals
Climate Living Index · Sapelo Island
Sapelo Island: 86/100 · grade A
Sapelo Island publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Sapelo Island, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 100/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Frost-free season | 302 days/year | 100/100 · A |
| Annual temperature balance | 68.4°F · 0.9° from 67.5°F | 96/100 · A |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 53 calendar days | 91/100 · A |
| Snowfall burden | 0.0 inches/year | 90/100 · A |
| Precipitation balance | 50.0 in · 15.0 from 35 in | 47/100 · D |
Sapelo Island · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Sapelo Island is a temperate Köppen climate: Cfa
Coldest-month mean 52.3°F and warmest-month mean 83.0°F place this station in temperate, no dry season, hot summer climates (Cfa). Class Cfa is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: temperate, specifically temperate, no dry season, hot summer.
- Köppen code
- Cfa
- Group
- Temperate
- Warmest month
- 83.0°F
- Coldest month
- 52.3°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 · balanced station
Where Sapelo Island sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Sapelo Island's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Top 7% warmest
- Among 6,861 stations, Sapelo Island sits in the warmer third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Top 19% wettest
- Sapelo Island's annual total ranks in the wetter third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 90%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Sapelo Island is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Sapelo Island compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Sapelo Island's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
100 Top 1% score exceeds 99% 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%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Below this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Below this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Below this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). This entry sits in this band.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Sapelo Island's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 38 complete annual observations from 1958 to 2025, SAPELO IS warmed at a fitted rate of 0.29°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Sapelo Island primary station fitted change +0.29 °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 | 62°F (17°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 3.6" | 0.0" | 5.4 | 0.0 |
| February | 64°F (18°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 3.1" | 0.0" | 2.1 | 0.0 |
| March | 70°F (21°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 3.3" | 0.0" | 0.7 | 0.0 |
| April | 77°F (25°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 67°F (19°C) | 3.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| May | 83°F (28°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 75°F (24°C) | 2.9" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 3.8 |
| June | 89°F (31°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 80°F (27°C) | 6.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 12.2 |
| July | 91°F (33°C) | 75°F (24°C) | 83°F (28°C) | 4.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 20.8 |
| August | 90°F (32°C) | 74°F (24°C) | 82°F (28°C) | 6.7" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 17.0 |
| September | 86°F (30°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 79°F (26°C) | 5.9" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 7.0 |
| October | 79°F (26°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 4.7" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.6 |
| November | 71°F (22°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 62°F (16°C) | 2.3" | 0.0" | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| December | 64°F (18°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 3.0" | 0.0" | 2.8 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
The year in Sapelo Island runs from a mild 42°F around January 13 to 92°F at the peak near July 18, and the normal low never reaches freezing on any date in the record.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from June 26 through August 17, covering 53 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs March 15 to November 18.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
No freezing date
Not one calendar date in the 1991–2020 record carries a normal low at or below 32°F. The coldest normal low of the year is 42°F around January 13.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is August 26, when 39% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is April 30 at 19%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 102 wet dates a year.
The widest day
January 9 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 20°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Sapelo Island.
Where Sapelo Island Stands Nationally
Among the steadiest day-night climates ranked: even the widest normal daily swing holds to roughly 20°F.
The normal water year runs well above the national norm at roughly 50 inches.
Sapelo Island earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
8.5 days with precipitation
8.0 days with precipitation
7.3 days with precipitation
6.5 days with precipitation
6.7 days with precipitation
10.4 days with precipitation
9.6 days with precipitation
11.9 days with precipitation
10.8 days with precipitation
7.3 days with precipitation
6.2 days with precipitation
8.2 days with precipitation
Sapelo Island runs a summer-peaked wet season
35% of Sapelo Island's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is August at 6.7", on a 30.7°F seasonal spread. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.
- Wettest three months: August, June, September, taking 38% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: November at 2.3".
- Winter share: 19% falls in December, January and February.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.
When it rains in Sapelo Island, it arrives in quantity
50.0" of precipitation falls across only about 101 wet days here, averaging 0.49 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 101 a year, 28% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.49 inches
- Most wet days
- August, about 12
- Fewest wet days
- November, about 6
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.
Sapelo Island's record shows no measurable snowfall
This station measured snowfall across the 1991-2020 period and recorded none: the annual normal is 0.0 inches. That is a measured zero rather than missing data, which is a meaningful distinction here , most stations in the database simply do not report snow at all, and those pages say nothing about it.
A thirty-year normal of zero describes the typical year at this station. It is not a claim that snow has never fallen in the area.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
December 19
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
February 20
50% probability date
Growing Season
302 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
1,424
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
2,690
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside GA closest to Sapelo Island 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 (68°F here).
- Green Valley, AZ 68°F · 0.0°F off
- Marrero, LA 68°F · 0.0°F off
- Tallahassee, FL 68°F · 0.0°F off
- Trona, CA 68°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (50.0" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Lufkin, TX 50.0" · 0.0" off
- Neosho, MO 50.0" · 0.0" off
- Disputanta, VA 49.9" · 0.0" off
- Elkton, OR 49.9" · 0.0" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Sapelo Island's climate pattern fits together
mixed demand · wet · mid swing
Water is prominent even though neither heating nor cooling wholly defines the record. Sapelo Island averages 50.0 inches of precipitation a year. Recorded annual snowfall is negligible. The monthly table supplies the seasonal distribution hidden by that annual total.
July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Sapelo Island's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 30.7°F. The annual average is 68°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Heating and cooling both register in Sapelo Island's normal, at 1,424 and 2,690 degree days respectively. Neither total exceeds the other by more than two to one, so the record is better read as a mixed-demand calendar than as heating-led or cooling-led.
The frost-free window extends for about 302 days. That is a long calendar measure, but it is not a forecast and does not combine heat, rainfall, soil, or local elevation into a planting recommendation.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Sapelo Island's primary station, where heating and cooling demand are close enough that neither season sets the character on its own. On a balanced station like Sapelo Island, the bands are descriptive ranges rather than an official NOAA classification or a forecast.
Questions about Sapelo Island's climate
How much rain does Sapelo Island get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Sapelo Island get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Sapelo Island? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Sapelo Island's primary station: SAPELO IS (USC00097808). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The conservative exact name-and-state crosswalk finds no Census place match, so PlainClimate treats this as a station-mapped location and does not claim it is a municipality. No exact Gazetteer row for Sapelo Island; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Sapelo Island 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.