Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Hytop is among the wettest of U.S. towns: 63 inches of precipitation a year
Nights in January average 29°. A year here swings 56° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. By January nights alone, it runs milder than 71% of U.S. towns. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from April to June and September to October, with highs of 69–82°.
A year in Hytop at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hytop’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hytop’s place in Alabama beside it.
What a year in Hytop feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 216 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 2 and the first by November 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Sewanee, TN, 23 miles from the town’s center, 210 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hytop’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 8°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 1 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Scottsboro, AL, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 63 inches a year; December is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 106 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Hytop
78% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Sewanee, TN.
Living with Hytop’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
216 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 2 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Hytop from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (41%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hytop and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Hytop yet.
Climates most like Hytop’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hytop, AL | 29° | 85° | 63" | 1.3" |
| Hendersonville, NC | 29° | 84° | 63" | 6.7" |
| Travelers Rest, SC | 32° | 88° | 60" | 1.9" |
| La Follette, TN | 27° | 86° | 54" | 3.1" |
| Toccoa, GA | 33° | 89° | 57" | 1.4" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Hytop averaged 0.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.5°).
A smaller shift than in 98% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Hytop compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hytop’s place among Alabama’s.
Hytop weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Hytop’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Scottsboro, AL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 29° | 5.8" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 30° – 45° |
| February | 51° | 32° | 5.6" | 0.6" | 10 | 0 | 32° – 50° |
| March | 60° | 40° | 6.0" | 0.5" | 11 | 0 | 44° – 60° |
| April | 69° | 48° | 5.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 54° – 63° |
| May | 76° | 58° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 61° – 72° |
| June | 82° | 64° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| July | 85° | 67° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 73° – 79° |
| August | 85° | 66° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 81° |
| September | 80° | 61° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| October | 70° | 51° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 57° – 65° |
| November | 59° | 40° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 44° – 56° |
| December | 50° | 32° | 6.6" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 32° – 52° |
| Year | 68° | 49° | 62.7" | 1.3" | 106 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 32° to 52°. July is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Hytop’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Hytop’s center.
- Snow: Scottsboro, AL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Sewanee, TN, 23 miles from the town’s center, 210 ft higher; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Hytop’s climate
What is the weather like in Hytop?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 29°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 71% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 50% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Hytop in winter?
January nights average 29°. About 68 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 30°.
How much snow does Hytop get?
About 1.3 inches in a normal winter at Scottsboro, AL, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 0 days a year.
How hot does it get in Hytop?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 67°. About 9 days a year reach 90° (Sewanee, TN).
When is the first and last frost in Hytop?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 2 and the first fall frost by November 4, about 216 frost-free days, at Sewanee, TN.
What growing zone is Hytop in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 8°.
What is the best time of year to visit Hytop?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Hytop getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 98% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Hytop.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.