Sparta, North Carolina climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Sparta's normal year runs from 22°F January nights to 84°F July afternoons, with 57.1 inches of precipitation and 19 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 11.4°C, January lows of −5°C, July highs of 29°C, 1,450 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationSparta (3.5 mi SSW)
- Station IDUSC00318158
- Location36.46°N 81.15°W
- Elevation3,011 ft (918 m)
- From the center3 miles
- Population1,894
On October 22, the normal high in Sparta is 64°F and the normal low 39°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 23%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Sparta.
- Jan 45° 22°
- Feb 46° 24°
- Mar 53° 31°
- Apr 63° 40°
- May 71° 49°
- Jun 80° 57°
- Jul 84° 62°
- Aug 82° 60°
- Sep 75° 53°
- Oct 66° 41°
- Nov 55° 32°
- Dec 46° 26°
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 Sparta each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 84°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 22°F. The most precipitation falls in May (5.48 in), the least in February (3.15 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45°F | 22°F | 33.4°F | 4.46 | 5.3 | 6 | <1 | 24 | 10 h |
| February | 46°F | 24°F | 35.4°F | 3.15 | 4.2 | 7 | <1 | 21 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 53°F | 31°F | 42.1°F | 4.91 | 3.1 | 8 | <1 | 13 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 63°F | 40°F | 51.6°F | 5.36 | 1.0 | 8 | <1 | 7 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 71°F | 49°F | 59.9°F | 5.48 | 0.0 | 10 | <1 | 1 | 14 h |
| June | 80°F | 57°F | 68.5°F | 4.87 | 0.0 | 11 | 4 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 84°F | 62°F | 72.7°F | 5.23 | 0.0 | 11 | 3 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 82°F | 60°F | 70.9°F | 4.93 | 0.0 | 11 | 5 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 75°F | 53°F | 63.9°F | 5.13 | 0.0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 66°F | 41°F | 53.5°F | 4.52 | 0.0 | 7 | <1 | 5 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 55°F | 32°F | 43.4°F | 4.54 | 0.3 | 7 | <1 | 15 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 46°F | 26°F | 36.0°F | 4.51 | 4.7 | 7 | <1 | 23 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 64°F | 41°F | 52.6°F | 57.09 | 18.6 | 101 | 12 | 108 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7°C | −5°C | 0.8°C | 113 mm | 13 cm |
| February | 8°C | −4°C | 1.9°C | 80 mm | 11 cm |
| March | 12°C | 0°C | 5.6°C | 125 mm | 8 cm |
| April | 17°C | 4°C | 10.9°C | 136 mm | 3 cm |
| May | 21°C | 10°C | 15.5°C | 139 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 27°C | 14°C | 20.3°C | 124 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 29°C | 17°C | 22.6°C | 133 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 28°C | 15°C | 21.6°C | 125 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 24°C | 12°C | 17.7°C | 130 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 19°C | 5°C | 11.9°C | 115 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 13°C | 0°C | 6.3°C | 115 mm | 1 cm |
| December | 8°C | −3°C | 2.2°C | 115 mm | 12 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00318158; 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 Sparta?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August, September and October. Of those, October has the fewest days with rain (7).
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 USC00318158.
When is the last frost in Sparta?
In Sparta, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 22 in half of years and after May 11 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 22 in half of years and before October 8 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 221 year in 10 after May 11; 9 in 10 after April 6
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 221 year in 10 before October 8; 9 in 10 before November 3
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 180 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 205 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 6 in half of springs and before October 31 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Sparta in zone 7a in ZIP code 28675, 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 USC00318158; 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 Sparta?
In a normal year in Sparta, 12 days a year reach 90°F, 108 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 101 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 12a 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
- 12high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 101a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 5a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00318158.
How sunny is Sparta?
Over a year 72% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Sparta, 4.2 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (75%) and February the cloudiest (66%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 68% | 2.4 |
| February | 66% | 3.0 |
| March | 69% | 4.1 |
| April | 72% | 5.2 |
| May | 71% | 5.7 |
| June | 75% | 6.1 |
| July | 74% | 5.8 |
| August | 75% | 5.3 |
| September | 74% | 4.6 |
| October | 74% | 3.6 |
| November | 75% | 2.8 |
| December | 68% | 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 much heating and cooling does Sparta need?
A normal year in Sparta brings 5,148 heating degree days, 4% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 651 cooling degree days, 28% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 3,003 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 979 | 0 |
| February | 829 | 0 |
| March | 712 | 0 |
| April | 408 | 6 |
| May | 181 | 23 |
| June | 27 | 130 |
| July | 0 | 237 |
| August | 6 | 187 |
| September | 92 | 58 |
| October | 366 | 9 |
| November | 649 | 0 |
| December | 899 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,148 | 651 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00318158. 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 Sparta been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 52.3°F, 0.3°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 52.6°F. 0 of the 3 complete years since 2022 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 49.9°F | −2.7°F | 61.00 | 10.0 |
| 2023 | 50.7°F | −1.9°F | 57.91 | 1.3 |
| 2024 | 52.3°F | −0.3°F | 78.18 | – |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00318158. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Sparta's climate compare?
Sparta is warmer than 8 of the other 130 places with their own NOAA record in North Carolina, and wetter than 101. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 52.6°F is warmer than 52%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Sparta 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 Sparta 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.
- Independence, VA998 people · 12 mi N
- Baywood, VA719 people · 14 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 Sparta's climate
What is the coldest month in Sparta?
January, with a normal high of 45°F and a normal low of 22°F. The warmest is July (84°F by day, 62°F at night).
Does it snow in Sparta?
Yes: 19 inches in a normal year, falling on 7 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (5.3 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Sparta?
May, with 5.48 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 3.15 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Sparta in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Sparta in zone 7a in ZIP code 28675, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Sparta?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 22; in one year in ten it comes after May 11. Waiting until May 11 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
- Transou, NC9 miles from this station, 50.4°F a year
- Elk Creek (4 mi SSW), VA15 miles from this station, 52.0°F a year
- Jefferson, NC16 miles from this station, 51.1°F a year
- Galax, VA19 miles from this station, 52.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made