Photo: Harrison Keely · CC BY 4.0Hiawassee is among the wettest of U.S. towns: 61 inches of precipitation a year
January mornings start at about 28°. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in January and the lightest in September. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 69% of U.S. towns. Long walks are most pleasant from April to June and September to October, when afternoons reach 70–82°.
A year in Hiawassee at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hiawassee’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hiawassee’s place in Georgia beside it.
What a year in Hiawassee feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 182 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 21 and the first by October 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Hayesville 1 Ne, NC, 8 miles from the town’s center, 180 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hiawassee’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 5°. 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 61 inches a year; January is the wettest month and September 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 Hiawassee
84% 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 Hayesville 1 Ne, NC.
Living with Hiawassee’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
182 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 21 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 21.
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 Hiawassee from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (60%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 21%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hiawassee and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Hiawassee yet.
Climates most like Hiawassee’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hiawassee, GA | 28° | 85° | 61" | 3.1" |
| Lawrenceburg, TN | 29° | 89° | 58" | 1.9" |
| London, KY | 25° | 86° | 53" | 5.7" |
| Arab, AL | 32° | 88° | 59" | 0.7" |
| Mount Airy, NC | 27° | 87° | 52" | 8.2" |
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 Hiawassee averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.9°).
A smaller shift than in 92% 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 Hiawassee compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hiawassee’s place among Georgia’s.
Hiawassee weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Hiawassee’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 | 50° | 28° | 6.0" | 0.5" | 12 | 0 | 31° – 44° |
| February | 54° | 30° | 5.2" | 0.4" | 12 | 0 | 33° – 50° |
| March | 61° | 36° | 5.4" | 1.0" | 13 | 0 | 42° – 57° |
| April | 70° | 42° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 61° |
| May | 76° | 51° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| June | 82° | 59° | 5.5" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| July | 85° | 62° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 70° – 77° |
| August | 84° | 61° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| September | 79° | 55° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| October | 70° | 44° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 53° – 61° |
| November | 60° | 35° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 42° – 53° |
| December | 52° | 30° | 5.9" | 1.2" | 12 | 0 | 32° – 51° |
| Year | 69° | 44° | 60.9" | 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 32° to 51°. July is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Hiawassee’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 Hiawassee’s center.
- Snow: Blairsville Exp Stn, GA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Hayesville 1 Ne, NC, 8 miles from the town’s center, 180 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 Hiawassee’s climate
What is the weather like in Hiawassee?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 50% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Hiawassee in winter?
January nights average 28°. About 102 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 31°.
How much snow does Hiawassee 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 Hiawassee?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 62°. About 3 days a year reach 90° (Hayesville 1 Ne, NC).
When is the first and last frost in Hiawassee?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 21 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 182 frost-free days, at Hayesville 1 Ne, NC.
What growing zone is Hiawassee in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Hiawassee?
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 Hiawassee getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 92% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Hiawassee.
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.