Photo: Thomson M · CC BY 3.0Blue Ridge is among the wettest of U.S. towns: 59 inches of precipitation a year
In January the night’s low is typically 27°. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 68% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 0.4° above 1901–2000. From April to June and September to October, highs of 70–83° make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
A year in Blue Ridge at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Blue Ridge’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Blue Ridge’s place in Georgia beside it.
What a year in Blue Ridge feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 176 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by October 19. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Blairsville Exp Stn, GA, 21 miles from the town’s center, 240 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Blue Ridge’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 7°. 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 3 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Blairsville Exp Stn, GA, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 59 inches a year; December is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 140 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Blue Ridge
83% 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 Blairsville Exp Stn, GA.
Living with Blue Ridge’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
176 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 26 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 19.
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 Blue Ridge from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (57%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 14%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Blue Ridge and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Blue Ridge yet.
Climates most like Blue Ridge’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Ridge, GA | 27° | 86° | 59" | 3.1" |
| London, KY | 25° | 86° | 53" | 5.7" |
| Lawrenceburg, TN | 29° | 89° | 58" | 1.9" |
| Mount Airy, NC | 27° | 87° | 52" | 8.2" |
| Cullman, AL | 31° | 89° | 58" | 0.6" |
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 Blue Ridge averaged 0.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.5°).
A smaller shift than in all but 106 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 Blue Ridge compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Blue Ridge’s place among Georgia’s.
Blue Ridge weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Blue Ridge’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Blairsville Exp Stn, GA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 27° | 5.5" | 0.5" | 12 | 0 | 30° – 44° |
| February | 53° | 30° | 5.1" | 0.4" | 12 | 0 | 31° – 50° |
| March | 61° | 36° | 5.5" | 1.0" | 13 | 0 | 41° – 58° |
| April | 70° | 42° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| May | 77° | 51° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| June | 83° | 59° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| July | 86° | 63° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 71° – 77° |
| August | 85° | 62° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| September | 80° | 56° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| October | 71° | 45° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 54° – 62° |
| November | 60° | 35° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 42° – 53° |
| December | 52° | 30° | 5.7" | 1.2" | 12 | 0 | 31° – 51° |
| Year | 69° | 45° | 59.1" | 3.1" | 140 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 31° to 51°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Blue Ridge’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 Blue Ridge’s center.
- Snow: Blairsville Exp Stn, GA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Blairsville Exp Stn, GA, 21 miles from the town’s center, 240 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 Blue Ridge’s climate
What is the weather like in Blue Ridge?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 68% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 53% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Blue Ridge in winter?
January nights average 27°. About 104 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 30°.
How much snow does Blue Ridge get?
About 3.1 inches in a normal winter at Blairsville Exp Stn, GA, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Blue Ridge?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 63°. About 8 days a year reach 90° (Blairsville Exp Stn, GA).
When is the first and last frost in Blue Ridge?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by October 19, about 176 frost-free days, at Blairsville Exp Stn, GA.
What growing zone is Blue Ridge in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Blue Ridge?
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 Blue Ridge getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than all but 106 U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Blue Ridge.
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.