Baldwin's Mill · Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0Briar Chapel has warmer summer afternoons than 75% of U.S. towns
Midwinter brings lows of about 30°. Only 60° separates winter nights from summer afternoons. In January, nights here are milder than in 72% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around March 31; autumn frost returns near November 3.
A year in Briar Chapel at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Briar Chapel’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Briar Chapel’s place in North Carolina beside it.
What a year in Briar Chapel feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 218 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 31 and the first by November 3. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Chapel Hill 2 W, NC, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Briar Chapel’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 13°. 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 3 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Chapel Hill 2 W, NC, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 47 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 124 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Briar Chapel
69% 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 Chapel Hill 2 W, NC.
Living with Briar Chapel’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
218 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 31 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 3.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 5.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Briar Chapel from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (59%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Briar Chapel and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Briar Chapel yet.
Climates most like Briar Chapel’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Briar Chapel, NC | 30° | 90° | 47" | 2.8" |
| Gaffney, SC | 30° | 90° | 47" | 1.9" |
| Williamsburg, VA | 30° | 89° | 49" | 4.3" |
| Sikeston, MO | 28° | 90° | 49" | 3.1" |
| Blytheville, AR | 31° | 90° | 50" | 2.9" |
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 Briar Chapel averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 75% 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 Briar Chapel compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Briar Chapel’s place among North Carolina’s.
Briar Chapel weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Briar Chapel’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Chapel Hill 2 W, NC. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52° | 30° | 3.6" | 1.5" | 11 | 0 | 36° – 47° |
| February | 55° | 32° | 3.1" | 0.9" | 10 | 0 | 34° – 51° |
| March | 63° | 38° | 4.2" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 44° – 59° |
| April | 72° | 47° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 55° – 65° |
| May | 79° | 56° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 62° – 73° |
| June | 86° | 65° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| July | 90° | 69° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 75° – 82° |
| August | 88° | 67° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 74° – 83° |
| September | 82° | 61° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| October | 72° | 48° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 57° – 66° |
| November | 62° | 38° | 3.4" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| December | 54° | 33° | 3.6" | 0.2" | 11 | 0 | 34° – 54° |
| Year | 71° | 49° | 47.4" | 2.8" | 124 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 34° to 54°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Briar Chapel’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 Briar Chapel’s center.
- Snow: Chapel Hill 2 W, NC.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Chapel Hill 2 W, NC, 6 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 Briar Chapel’s climate
What is the weather like in Briar Chapel?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 30°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 72% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 75% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Briar Chapel in winter?
January nights average 30°. About 77 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 36°.
How much snow does Briar Chapel get?
About 2.8 inches in a normal winter at Chapel Hill 2 W, NC, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 0 days a year.
How hot does it get in Briar Chapel?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 69°. About 44 days a year reach 90° (Chapel Hill 2 W, NC).
When is the first and last frost in Briar Chapel?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 31 and the first fall frost by November 3, about 218 frost-free days, at Chapel Hill 2 W, NC.
What growing zone is Briar Chapel in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 13°.
What is the best time of year to visit Briar Chapel?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Briar Chapel getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 75% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Briar Chapel.
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.