Belhaven Commercial Historic District · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainNeither notably warm, cold, wet nor dry, Bent Creek sits near the middle of U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 85°. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 58°. Its January nights stay gentler than in 68% of U.S. towns. Plan time outside from April to June and August to October, when highs sit at 69–83°.
A year in Bent Creek at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bent Creek’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bent Creek’s place in North Carolina beside it.
What a year in Bent Creek feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 175 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by October 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Bent Creek, NC, 1.2 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bent Creek’s center in zone 7b: 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 9 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Fletcher 3 W, NC, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 47 inches a year; July is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 121 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bent Creek
86% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. 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 Bent Creek, NC.
Living with Bent Creek’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
175 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 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 Oct 18.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, August, September and October. 6.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bent Creek from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (58%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 23%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bent Creek and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Bent Creek yet.
Climates most like Bent Creek’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bent Creek, NC | 27° | 85° | 47" | 9.1" |
| Forked River, NJ | 26° | 85° | 46" | 10" |
| Ocean City, MD | 30° | 86° | 46" | 10" |
| Timberlake, VA | 26° | 86° | 45" | 12" |
| Danville, KY | 25° | 86° | 49" | 7.4" |
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 Bent Creek averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.9°).
A smaller shift than in 79% 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 Bent Creek compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bent Creek’s place among North Carolina’s.
Bent Creek weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bent Creek’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Fletcher 3 W, NC. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 27° | 3.9" | 3.1" | 9 | 2 | 29° – 43° |
| February | 52° | 30° | 3.2" | 1.3" | 9 | 1 | 32° – 49° |
| March | 59° | 35° | 4.0" | 1.6" | 11 | 1 | 41° – 56° |
| April | 69° | 43° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 51° – 60° |
| May | 76° | 51° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| June | 82° | 59° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| July | 85° | 63° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 70° – 77° |
| August | 83° | 62° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| September | 78° | 56° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| October | 69° | 45° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 53° – 60° |
| November | 58° | 34° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 41° – 52° |
| December | 50° | 30° | 3.8" | 3.1" | 10 | 1 | 30° – 50° |
| Year | 67° | 45° | 46.5" | 9.1" | 121 | 4 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 30° to 50°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Bent Creek’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 Bent Creek’s center.
- Snow: Fletcher 3 W, NC.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Bent Creek, NC, 1.2 miles from the town’s center, 160 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 Bent Creek’s climate
What is the weather like in Bent Creek?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 68% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 52% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bent Creek in winter?
January nights average 27°. About 108 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 29°.
How much snow does Bent Creek get?
About 9.1 inches in a normal winter at Fletcher 3 W, NC, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 4 days a year.
How hot does it get in Bent Creek?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 63°. About 8 days a year reach 90° (Bent Creek, NC).
When is the first and last frost in Bent Creek?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by October 18, about 175 frost-free days, at Bent Creek, NC.
What growing zone is Bent Creek in?
Zone 7b 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 Bent Creek?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Bent Creek getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 79% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bent Creek.
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.