Photo: Thomas R Machnitzki ([email protected]) · CC BY 3.0Olive Branch’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 32°, and about 2 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Olive Branch at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Olive Branch’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Olive Branch’s place in Mississippi beside it.
What a year in Olive Branch feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 227 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 26 and the first by November 6. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Olive Branch, MS, 0.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Olive Branch’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 11°. 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 Olive Branch, MS, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 57 inches a year; April is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 106 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Olive Branch
61% 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 Olive Branch, MS.
Living with Olive Branch’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
227 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 26 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, October and November. 7.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Olive Branch from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (33%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 17%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Olive Branch and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Olive Branch in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Olive Branch’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olive Branch, MS | 32° | 91° | 57" | 1.5" |
| Tarrant, AL | 33° | 91° | 57" | 1.4" |
| Warren, AR | 34° | 92° | 56" | 1.5" |
| Leland, NC | 34° | 90° | 57" | 0.9" |
| Chattanooga, TN | 31° | 90° | 56" | 3.6" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Olive Branch 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 Olive Branch compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Olive Branch’s place among Mississippi’s.
Olive Branch weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Olive Branch’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Olive Branch, MS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50° | 32° | 4.3" | 0.7" | 9 | 1 | 34° – 48° |
| February | 55° | 36° | 4.9" | 0.6" | 11 | 0 | 35° – 54° |
| March | 64° | 43° | 5.8" | 0.2" | 11 | 0 | 47° – 64° |
| April | 73° | 51° | 6.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| May | 81° | 60° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| June | 88° | 68° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 74° – 83° |
| July | 91° | 71° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 76° – 84° |
| August | 91° | 70° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 75° – 86° |
| September | 85° | 63° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 71° – 81° |
| October | 74° | 51° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 59° – 69° |
| November | 62° | 41° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 45° – 57° |
| December | 53° | 35° | 5.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 33° – 53° |
| Year | 72° | 52° | 56.9" | 1.5" | 106 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 33° to 53°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Olive Branch’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 Olive Branch’s center.
- Snow: Olive Branch, MS (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Olive Branch, MS, 0.7 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 Olive Branch’s climate
What is the weather like in Olive Branch?
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 82% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Olive Branch in winter?
January nights average 32°. About 72 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 34°.
How much snow does Olive Branch get?
About 1.5 inches in a normal winter at Olive Branch, MS, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Olive Branch?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 71°. About 71 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Olive Branch, MS).
When is the first and last frost in Olive Branch?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 26 and the first fall frost by November 6, about 227 frost-free days, at Olive Branch, MS.
What growing zone is Olive Branch in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 11°.
What is the best time of year to visit Olive Branch?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Olive Branch 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 Olive Branch.
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.