Flat Top Estate · Photo: Bill Russ photographer · Public domainHardly any U.S. towns collect more precipitation than Blowing Rock: 66 inches a year
Midwinter brings lows of about 23°. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 54°. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in 97% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs November to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Blowing Rock at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Blowing Rock’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Blowing Rock’s place in North Carolina beside it.
What a year in Blowing Rock feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 178 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 25 and the first by October 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Blowing Rock 1nw, NC, 2.4 miles from the town’s center, 260 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Blowing Rock’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −1°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 26 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Boone 1 Se, NC, is heaviest from January through February, about 7 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 66 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 146 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Blowing Rock
95% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Blowing Rock 1nw, NC.
Living with Blowing Rock’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
178 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 25 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 21.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 3.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Blowing Rock from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (74%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Blowing Rock and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Blowing Rock yet.
Climates most like Blowing Rock’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blowing Rock, NC | 23° | 77° | 66" | 26" |
| Black Diamond, WA | 34° | 76° | 55" | 18" |
| Hazleton, PA | 16° | 78° | 51" | 42" |
| Sandwich, MA | 23° | 81° | 50" | 37" |
| Crossville, TN | 27° | 84° | 59" | 14" |
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 Blowing Rock averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.0°).
A smaller shift than in 82% 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 Blowing Rock compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Blowing Rock’s place among North Carolina’s.
Blowing Rock weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Blowing Rock’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Boone 1 Se, NC. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 23° | 5.2" | 6.6" | 12 | 7 | 24° – 38° |
| February | 44° | 25° | 4.1" | 6.7" | 12 | 6 | 26° – 43° |
| March | 50° | 31° | 5.3" | 4.8" | 12 | 3 | 33° – 50° |
| April | 60° | 39° | 5.9" | 1.0" | 13 | 1 | 45° – 54° |
| May | 68° | 47° | 5.8" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| June | 74° | 55° | 5.6" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 60° – 69° |
| July | 77° | 58° | 6.0" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 64° – 71° |
| August | 76° | 57° | 5.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 63° – 71° |
| September | 70° | 51° | 6.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 58° – 66° |
| October | 61° | 41° | 5.4" | 0.3" | 10 | 0 | 48° – 55° |
| November | 52° | 32° | 5.2" | 1.0" | 9 | 1 | 36° – 47° |
| December | 44° | 26° | 5.1" | 5.2" | 12 | 4 | 25° – 46° |
| Year | 60° | 41° | 65.6" | 25.6" | 146 | 22 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 46°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Blowing Rock’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 Blowing Rock’s center.
- Snow: Boone 1 Se, NC.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Blowing Rock 1nw, NC, 2.4 miles from the town’s center, 260 ft higher; 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 Blowing Rock’s climate
What is the weather like in Blowing Rock?
A typical July afternoon reaches 77°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 26 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 56% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 97% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Blowing Rock in winter?
January nights average 23°. About 120 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 24°.
How much snow does Blowing Rock get?
About 26 inches in a normal winter at Boone 1 Se, NC, heaviest from January through February, about 7 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 22 days a year.
How hot does it get in Blowing Rock?
July, with a typical high of 77°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Blowing Rock 1nw, NC.
When is the first and last frost in Blowing Rock?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 25 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 178 frost-free days, at Blowing Rock 1nw, NC.
What growing zone is Blowing Rock in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Blowing Rock?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Blowing Rock getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Blowing Rock.
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.