Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Few U.S. towns get more rain and snow than Fulton: 59 inches a year
Midwinter brings lows of about 32°. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in December and the lightest in September. By July afternoons alone, it runs hotter than 81% of U.S. towns. Garden chairs stay out from March to May and October, the months with highs of 66–82°.
A year in Fulton at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fulton’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fulton’s place in Mississippi beside it.
What a year in Fulton feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 212 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 1 and the first by October 31. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Fulton 3 W, MS, 3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fulton’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 2 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Fulton 3 W, MS, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 59 inches a year; December is the wettest month and September the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 110 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fulton
66% 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 Fulton 3 W, MS.
Living with Fulton’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
212 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Apr 1 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 31.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May and October.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 36% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fulton from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fulton and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Fulton yet.
Climates most like Fulton’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton, MS | 32° | 91° | 59" | 1.6" |
| Alexander City, AL | 33° | 91° | 56" | 0.7" |
| Leland, NC | 34° | 90° | 57" | 0.9" |
| Warren, AR | 34° | 92° | 56" | 1.5" |
| Harrison, TN | 31° | 90° | 57" | 3.6" |
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 Fulton averaged 0.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.3°).
A smaller shift than in all but 165 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 Fulton compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fulton’s place among Mississippi’s.
Fulton weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fulton’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Fulton 3 W, MS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52° | 32° | 5.3" | 0.5" | 10 | 0 | 34° – 50° |
| February | 57° | 35° | 5.5" | 0.8" | 10 | 0 | 37° – 54° |
| March | 66° | 42° | 5.3" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 47° – 63° |
| April | 75° | 49° | 5.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| May | 82° | 58° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| June | 88° | 66° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 74° – 82° |
| July | 91° | 70° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 75° – 83° |
| August | 91° | 69° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 75° – 85° |
| September | 86° | 62° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 70° – 80° |
| October | 75° | 50° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 59° – 68° |
| November | 64° | 39° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 45° – 57° |
| December | 55° | 35° | 6.0" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 35° – 54° |
| Year | 73° | 51° | 58.5" | 1.6" | 110 | 1 |
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 54°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Fulton’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 Fulton’s center.
- Snow: Fulton 3 W, MS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Fulton 3 W, MS, 3 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 Fulton’s climate
What is the weather like in Fulton?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 32°, and about 2 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 75% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 81% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fulton in winter?
January nights average 32°. About 67 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 34°.
How much snow does Fulton get?
About 1.6 inches in a normal winter at Fulton 3 W, MS, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Fulton?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 70°. About 56 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Fulton 3 W, MS).
When is the first and last frost in Fulton?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 1 and the first fall frost by October 31, about 212 frost-free days, at Fulton 3 W, MS.
What growing zone is Fulton 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 Fulton?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Fulton getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than all but 165 U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fulton.
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.