Walter James Lenoir House · Photo: Eddyz9 · CC BY-SA 4.0Cedar Rock gets more rain and snow than 85% of U.S. towns: 50 inches of precipitation a year
January mornings start at about 28°. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 70% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with December up the most. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly April 7 to October 31.
A year in Cedar Rock at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cedar Rock’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cedar Rock’s place in North Carolina beside it.
What a year in Cedar Rock feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 207 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 7 and the first by October 31. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lenoir, NC, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cedar Rock’s center in zone 8a: 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 4 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lenoir, NC, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 50 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 123 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cedar Rock
75% 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 Lenoir, NC.
Living with Cedar Rock’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
207 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Apr 7 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 31.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 4.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cedar Rock from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (72%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cedar Rock and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cedar Rock yet.
Climates most like Cedar 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Rock, NC | 28° | 88° | 50" | 4.1" |
| Franklin, KY | 28° | 89° | 51" | 4.3" |
| White House, TN | 28° | 88° | 52" | 5.8" |
| Suffolk, VA | 30° | 89° | 50" | 4.1" |
| Clarksville, IN | 25° | 88° | 49" | 4.3" |
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 Cedar Rock averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.7°).
A smaller shift than in 89% 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 Cedar Rock compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cedar Rock’s place among North Carolina’s.
Cedar Rock weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cedar Rock’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lenoir, NC. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 28° | 4.0" | 1.3" | 10 | 1 | 32° – 45° |
| February | 53° | 31° | 3.4" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 34° – 49° |
| March | 61° | 37° | 4.3" | 0.3" | 11 | 0 | 42° – 58° |
| April | 71° | 45° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 53° – 62° |
| May | 78° | 53° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 60° – 70° |
| June | 85° | 62° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| July | 88° | 66° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 74° – 80° |
| August | 86° | 65° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 72° – 81° |
| September | 81° | 58° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| October | 71° | 46° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 55° – 63° |
| November | 61° | 36° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 43° – 54° |
| December | 52° | 31° | 4.2" | 2.3" | 10 | 1 | 32° – 51° |
| Year | 70° | 46° | 50.3" | 4.1" | 123 | 3 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 32° to 51°. July is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Cedar 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 Cedar Rock’s center.
- Snow: Lenoir, NC.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lenoir, NC, 5 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 Cedar Rock’s climate
What is the weather like in Cedar Rock?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 70% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 66% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cedar Rock in winter?
January nights average 28°. About 91 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 32°.
How much snow does Cedar Rock get?
About 4.1 inches in a normal winter at Lenoir, NC, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 3 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cedar Rock?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 66°. About 36 days a year reach 90° (Lenoir, NC).
When is the first and last frost in Cedar Rock?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 7 and the first fall frost by October 31, about 207 frost-free days, at Lenoir, NC.
What growing zone is Cedar Rock in?
Zone 8a 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 Cedar Rock?
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 Cedar Rock getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 89% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cedar 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.