Boyd and Sallie Gilleland House · Photo: Gwringle · CC BY-SA 3.0Hardly any U.S. towns collect more precipitation than Dawsonville: 63 inches a year
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 31°. By January nights alone, it runs milder than 73% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 0.6°, most of all in December. Plan time outside from April to June and September to October, when highs sit at 71–84°.
A year in Dawsonville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Dawsonville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Dawsonville’s place in Georgia beside it.
What a year in Dawsonville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 214 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 4 and the first by November 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cumming 2n, GA, 14 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Dawsonville’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 3 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Dahlonega 4wsw, GA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 63 inches a year; December is the wettest month and September the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 132 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Dawsonville
69% 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 Cumming 2n, GA.
Living with Dawsonville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
214 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Apr 4 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. 15 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Dawsonville from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (45%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 15%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Dawsonville and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Dawsonville yet.
Climates most like Dawsonville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dawsonville, GA | 31° | 87° | 63" | 3.3" |
| Lawrenceburg, TN | 29° | 89° | 58" | 1.9" |
| Cullman, AL | 31° | 89° | 58" | 0.6" |
| Booneville, MS | 31° | 90° | 59" | 1.1" |
| Morehead City, NC | 36° | 88° | 59" | 0.5" |
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 Dawsonville 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 Dawsonville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Dawsonville’s place among Georgia’s.
Dawsonville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Dawsonville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Dahlonega 4wsw, GA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 31° | 5.7" | 1.4" | 12 | 1 | 32° – 46° |
| February | 55° | 33° | 5.6" | 0.8" | 12 | 0 | 35° – 52° |
| March | 62° | 39° | 5.6" | 0.4" | 13 | 0 | 44° – 60° |
| April | 71° | 46° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 54° – 63° |
| May | 78° | 54° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 61° – 70° |
| June | 84° | 62° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| July | 87° | 66° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 73° – 80° |
| August | 86° | 65° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 72° – 81° |
| September | 81° | 59° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| October | 72° | 48° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 57° – 64° |
| November | 61° | 38° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 44° – 55° |
| December | 53° | 33° | 6.1" | 0.7" | 12 | 1 | 34° – 53° |
| Year | 70° | 48° | 62.5" | 3.3" | 132 | 2 |
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°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Dawsonville’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 Dawsonville’s center.
- Snow: Dahlonega 4wsw, GA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cumming 2n, GA, 14 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft lower; 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 Dawsonville’s climate
What is the weather like in Dawsonville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 31°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 73% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 61% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Dawsonville in winter?
January nights average 31°. About 67 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 32°.
How much snow does Dawsonville get?
About 3.3 inches in a normal winter at Dahlonega 4wsw, GA, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 2 days a year.
How hot does it get in Dawsonville?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 66°. About 32 days a year reach 90° (Cumming 2n, GA).
When is the first and last frost in Dawsonville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 4 and the first fall frost by November 4, about 214 frost-free days, at Cumming 2n, GA.
What growing zone is Dawsonville 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 Dawsonville?
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 Dawsonville 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 Dawsonville.
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.