Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0Carthage’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 32°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Carthage at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Carthage’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Carthage’s place in North Carolina beside it.
What a year in Carthage feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 219 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 1 and the first by November 5. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Carthage Wtp, NC, 0.6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Carthage’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 12°. 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 Carthage Wtp, NC, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 89 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Carthage
66% 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 Carthage Wtp, NC.
Living with Carthage’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
219 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Apr 1 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 5.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 1.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Carthage from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (43%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Carthage and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Carthage in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Carthage’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carthage, NC | 32° | 90° | 46" | 1.3" |
| Anderson, SC | 33° | 90° | 48" | 0.9" |
| Rockmart, GA | 32° | 90° | 50" | 0.7" |
| Newport News, VA | 32° | 89° | 48" | 2.7" |
| Walnut Ridge, AR | 28° | 90° | 49" | 0.9" |
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 Carthage averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 68% 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 Carthage compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Carthage’s place among North Carolina’s.
Carthage weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Carthage’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Carthage Wtp, NC. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 53° | 32° | 3.4" | 0.7" | 8 | 0 | 37° – 48° |
| February | 57° | 34° | 3.1" | 0.3" | 7 | 0 | 37° – 55° |
| March | 64° | 40° | 3.8" | 0.2" | 8 | 0 | 45° – 60° |
| April | 74° | 48° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 56° – 66° |
| May | 80° | 57° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 63° – 75° |
| June | 87° | 65° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| July | 90° | 69° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 76° – 82° |
| August | 88° | 68° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 75° – 84° |
| September | 82° | 61° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| October | 73° | 50° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 58° – 67° |
| November | 63° | 40° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| December | 55° | 34° | 3.6" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 34° – 57° |
| Year | 72° | 50° | 46.1" | 1.3" | 89 | 1 |
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 57°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Carthage’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 Carthage’s center.
- Snow: Carthage Wtp, NC (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Carthage Wtp, NC, 0.6 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 Carthage’s climate
What is the weather like in Carthage?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 32°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 74% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 77% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Carthage in winter?
January nights average 32°. About 62 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 37°.
How much snow does Carthage get?
About 1.3 inches in a normal winter at Carthage Wtp, NC, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Carthage?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 69°. About 55 days a year reach 90° (Carthage Wtp, NC).
When is the first and last frost in Carthage?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 1 and the first fall frost by November 5, about 219 frost-free days, at Carthage Wtp, NC.
What growing zone is Carthage in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Carthage?
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 Carthage getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 68% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Carthage.
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.