Dillard B. and Georgia Sewell House · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ M.D. · CC BY-SA 4.0Etowah is among the wettest of U.S. towns: 61 inches of precipitation a year
Sunny July days climb to about 84°. Winter and summer sit 56° apart. Its January nights stay gentler than in 68% of U.S. towns. Garden chairs stay out from April to October, the months with highs of 68–84°.
A year in Etowah at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Etowah’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Etowah’s place in North Carolina beside it.
What a year in Etowah feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 186 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 19 and the first by October 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Pisgah Forest 3 Ne, NC, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Etowah’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 6°. 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 7 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Pisgah Forest 3 Ne, NC, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 61 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 148 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Etowah
84% 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 Pisgah Forest 3 Ne, NC.
Living with Etowah’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
186 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 19 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, July, August, September and October. 4.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Etowah from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (47%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 27%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Etowah and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Etowah in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Etowah’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etowah, NC | 27° | 84° | 61" | 6.7" |
| Signal Mountain, TN | 29° | 85° | 62" | 4.3" |
| Fort Payne, AL | 31° | 86° | 60" | 5.0" |
| London, KY | 25° | 86° | 53" | 5.7" |
| Troutdale, OR | 36° | 81° | 56" | 3.4" |
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 Etowah 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 Etowah compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Etowah’s place among North Carolina’s.
Etowah weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Etowah’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Pisgah Forest 3 Ne, NC. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 27° | 5.4" | 2.3" | 11 | 1 | 29° – 44° |
| February | 52° | 30° | 4.5" | 0.8" | 11 | 0 | 32° – 49° |
| March | 59° | 36° | 5.2" | 0.9" | 12 | 0 | 40° – 56° |
| April | 68° | 43° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 51° – 59° |
| May | 75° | 51° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 58° – 67° |
| June | 81° | 59° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| July | 84° | 63° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 | 70° – 77° |
| August | 82° | 62° | 5.9" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| September | 77° | 56° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| October | 68° | 45° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 53° – 60° |
| November | 58° | 34° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 42° – 52° |
| December | 50° | 30° | 5.3" | 2.7" | 11 | 1 | 31° – 50° |
| Year | 67° | 45° | 60.9" | 6.7" | 148 | 3 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 31° to 50°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Etowah’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 Etowah’s center.
- Snow: Pisgah Forest 3 Ne, NC.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Pisgah Forest 3 Ne, NC, 4 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 Etowah’s climate
What is the weather like in Etowah?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 68% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 65% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Etowah in winter?
January nights average 27°. About 118 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 29°.
How much snow does Etowah get?
About 6.7 inches in a normal winter at Pisgah Forest 3 Ne, NC, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 3 days a year.
How hot does it get in Etowah?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 63°. About 10 days a year reach 90° (Pisgah Forest 3 Ne, NC).
When is the first and last frost in Etowah?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 19 and the first fall frost by October 23, about 186 frost-free days, at Pisgah Forest 3 Ne, NC.
What growing zone is Etowah in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Etowah?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Etowah 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 Etowah.
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.