Photo: Harrison Keely · CC BY 4.0Hardly any U.S. towns collect more precipitation than Flat Rock: 64 inches a year
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 83°. Rain is spread evenly through the year: the wettest month, August, gets little more than the driest, February. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 73% of U.S. towns. The outdoor season runs from April to October, with highs of 68–83°.
A year in Flat Rock at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Flat Rock’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Flat Rock’s place in North Carolina beside it.
What a year in Flat Rock feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 192 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 14 and the first by October 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Hendersonville 1 Ne, NC, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Flat Rock’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 9°. 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 Hendersonville 1 Ne, NC, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 64 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 121 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Flat Rock
82% 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 Hendersonville 1 Ne, NC.
Living with Flat Rock’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
192 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 14 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 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, July, August, September and October. 7.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Flat Rock from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (54%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 25%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Flat Rock and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Flat Rock in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Flat 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat Rock, NC | 29° | 83° | 64" | 6.7" |
| Signal Mountain, TN | 29° | 85° | 62" | 4.3" |
| Fort Payne, AL | 31° | 86° | 60" | 5.0" |
| Battle Ground, WA | 35° | 80° | 58" | 1.4" |
| 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 Flat Rock averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 77% 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 Flat Rock compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Flat Rock’s place among North Carolina’s.
Flat Rock weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Flat Rock’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Hendersonville 1 Ne, NC. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 29° | 5.6" | 2.9" | 10 | 0 | 30° – 45° |
| February | 51° | 32° | 4.5" | 0.6" | 9 | 0 | 33° – 49° |
| March | 59° | 38° | 5.3" | 1.0" | 11 | 0 | 42° – 57° |
| April | 68° | 45° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 52° – 60° |
| May | 74° | 53° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 59° – 68° |
| June | 80° | 61° | 5.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| July | 83° | 65° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 71° – 78° |
| August | 81° | 64° | 5.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| September | 76° | 58° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 64° – 72° |
| October | 68° | 47° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 54° – 61° |
| November | 58° | 37° | 5.2" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 43° – 54° |
| December | 50° | 32° | 5.7" | 2.1" | 10 | 1 | 32° – 51° |
| Year | 66° | 47° | 64.1" | 6.7" | 121 | 2 |
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 7°.
Where Flat 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 Flat Rock’s center.
- Snow: Hendersonville 1 Ne, NC.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Hendersonville 1 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 Flat Rock’s climate
What is the weather like in Flat Rock?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 29°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 71% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 73% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Flat Rock in winter?
January nights average 29°. About 88 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 30°.
How much snow does Flat Rock get?
About 6.7 inches in a normal winter at Hendersonville 1 Ne, NC, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 2 days a year.
How hot does it get in Flat Rock?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 65°. About 10 days a year reach 90° (Hendersonville 1 Ne, NC).
When is the first and last frost in Flat Rock?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 14 and the first fall frost by October 25, about 192 frost-free days, at Hendersonville 1 Ne, NC.
What growing zone is Flat Rock in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Flat Rock?
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 Flat Rock getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 77% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Flat 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.