Loudermilk Boarding House · Photo: MRX_Rotary · CC BY-SA 3.0Cornelia sits near the top of U.S. towns for precipitation, with 60 inches a year
Sunny July days climb to about 87°. Rain is spread evenly through the year: the wettest month, December, gets little more than the driest, May. By January nights alone, it runs milder than 75% of U.S. towns. Homes need heating from December to February, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Cornelia at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cornelia’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cornelia’s place in Georgia beside it.
What a year in Cornelia feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 222 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 30 and the first by November 6. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cornelia, GA, 0.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cornelia’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 60 inches of rain a year
December is the wettest month and May the driest. Rain falls on about 115 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.6" in a normal year at Cornelia, GA, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Cornelia
75% 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 Cornelia, GA.
Living with Cornelia’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
222 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 6.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, June, September and October. 2.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cornelia from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (36%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 27%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cornelia and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cornelia yet.
Climates most like Cornelia’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornelia, GA | 32° | 87° | 60" | 0.6" |
| Arab, AL | 32° | 88° | 59" | 0.7" |
| Lynchburg, TN | 29° | 88° | 60" | 1.5" |
| Morehead City, NC | 36° | 88° | 59" | 0.5" |
| Booneville, MS | 31° | 90° | 59" | 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 Cornelia averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.9°).
A smaller shift than in 97% 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 Cornelia compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cornelia’s place among Georgia’s.
Cornelia weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cornelia’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cornelia, GA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 32° | 5.6" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 34° – 47° |
| February | 55° | 35° | 5.1" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 37° – 52° |
| March | 62° | 41° | 5.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 45° – 61° |
| April | 71° | 48° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 64° |
| May | 78° | 56° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| June | 84° | 64° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| July | 87° | 67° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 74° – 81° |
| August | 86° | 66° | 5.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 72° – 81° |
| September | 81° | 61° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| October | 71° | 50° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 58° – 65° |
| November | 61° | 40° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| December | 54° | 35° | 5.7" | 0.3" | 10 | 0 | 35° – 53° |
| Year | 70° | 50° | 60.0" | 0.6" | 115 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 35° to 53°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Cornelia’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 Cornelia’s center.
- Snow: Cornelia, GA (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cornelia, GA, 0.2 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 Cornelia’s climate
What is the weather like in Cornelia?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 32°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 75% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 62% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cornelia in winter?
January nights average 32°. About 62 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 34°.
How much snow does Cornelia get?
About 0.6 inches in a normal winter at Cornelia, GA, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Cornelia?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 67°. About 17 days a year reach 90° (Cornelia, GA).
When is the first and last frost in Cornelia?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 30 and the first fall frost by November 6, about 222 frost-free days, at Cornelia, GA.
What growing zone is Cornelia 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 Cornelia?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Cornelia getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 97% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cornelia.
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.