Photo: Magnolia677 · CC BY 4.0Few U.S. towns get more rain and snow than Waterford: 58 inches a year
High summer brings afternoon highs near 91°. Its July heat outdoes that of 80% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 0.4° higher. Central heating does most of its work from December to February, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Waterford at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Waterford’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Waterford’s place in Mississippi beside it.
What a year in Waterford feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 204 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 6 and the first by October 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Holly Springs 4 N, MS, 12 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Waterford’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 10°. 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 Abbeville, MS, is heaviest from January through February, about 1 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 58 inches a year; December is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 91 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Waterford
67% 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 Holly Springs 4 N, MS.
Living with Waterford’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
204 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 6 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 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Waterford from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (33%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Waterford and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Waterford yet.
Climates most like Waterford’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterford, MS | 31° | 91° | 58" | 1.1" |
| Odenville, AL | 32° | 90° | 58" | 1.4" |
| Leland, NC | 34° | 90° | 57" | 0.9" |
| Fayetteville, TN | 29° | 89° | 60" | 1.1" |
| Toccoa, GA | 33° | 89° | 57" | 1.4" |
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 Waterford averaged 0.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.5°).
A smaller shift than in all but 146 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 Waterford compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Waterford’s place among Mississippi’s.
Waterford weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Waterford’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Abbeville, MS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 31° | 4.8" | 0.5" | 9 | 0 | 33° – 48° |
| February | 56° | 35° | 5.4" | 0.5" | 8 | 0 | 36° – 54° |
| March | 65° | 42° | 5.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 64° |
| April | 74° | 49° | 5.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| May | 81° | 59° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| June | 88° | 67° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 74° – 82° |
| July | 91° | 70° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 75° – 83° |
| August | 91° | 68° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 74° – 85° |
| September | 85° | 62° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 70° – 80° |
| October | 75° | 50° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 59° – 68° |
| November | 63° | 40° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| December | 54° | 34° | 6.1" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 33° – 53° |
| Year | 73° | 51° | 57.8" | 1.1" | 91 | 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°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Waterford’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 Waterford’s center.
- Snow: Abbeville, MS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Holly Springs 4 N, MS, 12 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 Waterford’s climate
What is the weather like in Waterford?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 31°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 74% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 80% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Waterford in winter?
January nights average 31°. About 82 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 33°.
How much snow does Waterford get?
About 1.1 inches in a normal winter at Abbeville, MS, heaviest from January through February, about 1 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Waterford?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 70°. About 62 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Holly Springs 4 N, MS).
When is the first and last frost in Waterford?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 6 and the first fall frost by October 26, about 204 frost-free days, at Holly Springs 4 N, MS.
What growing zone is Waterford in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Waterford?
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 Waterford getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than all but 146 U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Waterford.
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.