Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Leighton’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 30°, and about 2 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Leighton at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Leighton’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Leighton’s place in Alabama beside it.
What a year in Leighton feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 220 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 30 and the first by November 3. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Muscle Shoals Rgnl Airport, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; frost dates and degree days from Muscle Shoals Wtp, AL, 8 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Leighton’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 12°. 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 2 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Moulton 2, AL, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 57 inches a year; December is the wettest month and September the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 124 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Leighton
65% 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 Muscle Shoals Wtp, AL.
Living with Leighton’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
220 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 30 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 3.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Leighton from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (36%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 20%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Leighton and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Leighton yet.
Climates most like Leighton’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leighton, AL | 30° | 90° | 57" | 2.1" |
| Mena, AR | 29° | 90° | 58" | 4.0" |
| Toccoa, GA | 33° | 89° | 57" | 1.4" |
| Seneca, SC | 32° | 89° | 54" | 2.2" |
| Cleveland, TN | 30° | 89° | 56" | 1.1" |
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 Leighton averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.5°).
A smaller shift than in 96% 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 Leighton compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Leighton’s place among Alabama’s.
Leighton weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Leighton’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Moulton 2, AL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 30° | 5.0" | 0.5" | 12 | 0 | 33° – 49° |
| February | 56° | 33° | 5.1" | 0.9" | 12 | 0 | 35° – 53° |
| March | 65° | 40° | 5.3" | 0.5" | 13 | 0 | 46° – 62° |
| April | 74° | 47° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| May | 81° | 57° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| June | 87° | 65° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 72° – 79° |
| July | 90° | 68° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 75° – 82° |
| August | 90° | 67° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 73° – 84° |
| September | 85° | 60° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| October | 74° | 48° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 58° – 67° |
| November | 63° | 38° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| December | 54° | 33° | 5.9" | 0.2" | 12 | 0 | 34° – 53° |
| Year | 72° | 49° | 56.7" | 2.1" | 124 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 34° to 53°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Leighton’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 Leighton’s center.
- Snow: Moulton 2, AL.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Muscle Shoals Wtp, AL, 8 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Muscle Shoals Rgnl Airport, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; 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 Leighton’s climate
What is the weather like in Leighton?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 30°, and about 2 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 73% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 78% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Leighton in winter?
January nights average 30°. About 56 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 33°.
How much snow does Leighton get?
About 2.1 inches in a normal winter at Moulton 2, AL, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Leighton?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 68°. About 69 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Muscle Shoals Wtp, AL).
When is the first and last frost in Leighton?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 30 and the first fall frost by November 3, about 220 frost-free days, at Muscle Shoals Wtp, AL.
What growing zone is Leighton in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Leighton?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Leighton getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 96% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Leighton.
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.