Gaston School · Photo: Frank Womble · CC BY-SA 4.0More precipitation falls on Gaston than on 78% of U.S. towns: 49 inches a year
July afternoons average 90°. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 76% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with December up the most. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about March 31, with the first autumn frost due around November 9.
A year in Gaston at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Gaston’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Gaston’s place in North Carolina beside it.
What a year in Gaston feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 222 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 31 and the first by November 9. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Roanoke Rapids, NC, 1.8 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Gaston’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 11°. 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 5 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Jackson, NC, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 49 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 104 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Gaston
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 Roanoke Rapids, NC.
Living with Gaston’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
222 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 9.
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 Gaston from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (36%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Gaston and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Gaston yet.
Climates most like Gaston’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaston, NC | 30° | 90° | 49" | 5.0" |
| Caruthersville, MO | 30° | 90° | 50" | 6.6" |
| Nashville, TN | 29° | 90° | 52" | 4.7" |
| Pocahontas, AR | 28° | 90° | 50" | 6.3" |
| Welcome, SC | 32° | 89° | 50" | 3.9" |
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 Gaston averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 54% 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 Gaston compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Gaston’s place among North Carolina’s.
Gaston weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Gaston’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Jackson, NC. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 30° | 3.7" | 2.8" | 10 | 2 | 35° – 46° |
| February | 54° | 32° | 2.9" | 0.8" | 8 | 2 | 33° – 51° |
| March | 62° | 37° | 4.2" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 44° – 58° |
| April | 71° | 46° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 54° – 65° |
| May | 79° | 56° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 62° – 74° |
| June | 86° | 65° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| July | 90° | 69° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 75° – 83° |
| August | 88° | 67° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 74° – 80° |
| September | 82° | 61° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| October | 72° | 48° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| November | 62° | 39° | 3.4" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 45° – 55° |
| December | 54° | 33° | 3.5" | 1.1" | 9 | 2 | 34° – 54° |
| Year | 71° | 48° | 48.5" | 5.0" | 104 | 6 |
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°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Gaston’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 Gaston’s center.
- Snow: Jackson, NC.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Roanoke Rapids, NC, 1.8 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft higher; 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 Gaston’s climate
What is the weather like in Gaston?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 30°, and about 5 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 72% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 76% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Gaston in winter?
January nights average 30°. About 70 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 35°.
How much snow does Gaston get?
About 5.0 inches in a normal winter at Jackson, NC, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 6 days a year.
How hot does it get in Gaston?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 69°. About 46 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Roanoke Rapids, NC).
When is the first and last frost in Gaston?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 31 and the first fall frost by November 9, about 222 frost-free days, at Roanoke Rapids, NC.
What growing zone is Gaston in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 11°.
What is the best time of year to visit Gaston?
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 Gaston getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 54% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Gaston.
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.