Photo: Ktkvtsh · CC BY 4.0Bolton is among the wettest of U.S. towns: 57 inches of precipitation a year
Midsummer highs settle at about 92°. Its July heat outdoes that of 87% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 0.7° higher. From February to May and October to November, highs of 62–84° make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
A year in Bolton at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bolton’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bolton’s place in Mississippi beside it.
What a year in Bolton feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 236 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 16 and the first by November 6. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Oakley Exp Stn, MS, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bolton’s center in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 18°. 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 1 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Jackson International Airport, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 57 inches a year; April is the wettest month and September the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 111 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bolton
48% of the work is heating, so air conditioning is the bigger bill. Months averaging under 55° run from December through February.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Oakley Exp Stn, MS.
Living with Bolton’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
236 frost-free days in zone 8b. The last frost comes by Mar 16 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: February, March, April, May, October and November.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bolton from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (26%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 18%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bolton and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Bolton yet.
Climates most like Bolton’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bolton, MS | 37° | 92° | 57" | 1.0" |
| Greenville, AL | 36° | 91° | 57" | 0.5" |
| Minden, LA | 35° | 93° | 56" | 0.4" |
| Jasper, TX | 39° | 93° | 57" | 0.1" |
| Magnolia, AR | 34° | 92° | 55" | 1.7" |
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 Bolton averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.5°).
A smaller shift than in 94% 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 Bolton compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bolton’s place among Mississippi’s.
Bolton weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bolton’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Jackson International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58° | 37° | 5.5" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 42° – 55° |
| February | 62° | 40° | 5.3" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 41° – 59° |
| March | 70° | 46° | 5.5" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 52° – 67° |
| April | 77° | 53° | 5.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 60° – 69° |
| May | 84° | 62° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 77° |
| June | 90° | 69° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 77° – 83° |
| July | 92° | 72° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 79° – 84° |
| August | 92° | 70° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 77° – 84° |
| September | 88° | 65° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 73° – 83° |
| October | 79° | 54° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| November | 67° | 44° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 51° – 62° |
| December | 60° | 39° | 5.6" | 0.5" | 10 | 0 | 40° – 59° |
| Year | 76° | 54° | 57.0" | 1.0" | 111 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 40° to 59°. July is the most reliable, staying within 5°.
Where Bolton’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 Bolton’s center.
- Snow: Jackson International Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Oakley Exp Stn, MS, 11 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 Bolton’s climate
What is the weather like in Bolton?
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 37°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 84% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 87% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bolton in winter?
January nights average 37°. About 54 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 42°.
How much snow does Bolton get?
About 1.0 inches in a normal winter at Jackson International Airport, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 0 days a year.
How hot does it get in Bolton?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 72°. About 100 days a year reach 90° and 7 reach 100° (Oakley Exp Stn, MS).
When is the first and last frost in Bolton?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 16 and the first fall frost by November 6, about 236 frost-free days, at Oakley Exp Stn, MS.
What growing zone is Bolton in?
Zone 8b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 18°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bolton?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), February, March, April, May, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Bolton getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 94% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bolton.
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.