Photo: Harrison Keely · CC BY 4.0Highlands’ winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 76°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 10 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Highlands at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Highlands’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Highlands’ place in North Carolina beside it.
What a year in Highlands feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 167 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Highlands, NC, 0.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Highlands’ center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 1°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 10 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Highlands, NC, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 82 inches a year; December is the wettest month and May the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 163 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Highlands
96% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Highlands, NC.
Living with Highlands’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
167 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 30 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 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 2.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Highlands from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (54%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 23%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Highlands and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Highlands yet.
Climates most like Highlands’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands, NC | 25° | 76° | 82" | 10" |
| Sultan, WA | 35° | 76° | 75" | 3.0" |
| Tillamook, OR | 38° | 71° | 87" | 0.2" |
| Falmouth, MA | 24° | 81° | 49" | 25" |
| Cookeville, TN | 28° | 87° | 59" | 6.1" |
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 Highlands averaged 0.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.3°).
A smaller shift than in all but 117 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 Highlands compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Highlands’ place among North Carolina’s.
Highlands weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Highlands’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Highlands, NC. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 25° | 7.7" | 2.6" | 14 | 3 | 26° – 39° |
| February | 46° | 27° | 6.7" | 2.0" | 14 | 2 | 28° – 44° |
| March | 53° | 32° | 7.1" | 1.8" | 14 | 1 | 35° – 51° |
| April | 62° | 39° | 6.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 46° – 54° |
| May | 69° | 47° | 6.1" | 0.2" | 14 | 0 | 53° – 61° |
| June | 74° | 54° | 6.6" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 60° – 68° |
| July | 76° | 58° | 6.5" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 | 64° – 70° |
| August | 75° | 57° | 6.2" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 | 63° – 70° |
| September | 70° | 52° | 6.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 58° – 66° |
| October | 62° | 42° | 7.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 48° – 55° |
| November | 53° | 32° | 7.1" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 37° – 48° |
| December | 46° | 28° | 7.9" | 3.5" | 14 | 2 | 27° – 46° |
| Year | 61° | 41° | 81.5" | 10.2" | 163 | 7 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 27° to 46°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Highlands’ 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 Highlands’ center.
- Snow: Highlands, NC (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Highlands, NC, 0.2 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 Highlands’ climate
What is the weather like in Highlands?
A typical July afternoon reaches 76°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 10 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 61% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 98% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Highlands in winter?
January nights average 25°. About 115 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Highlands get?
About 10 inches in a normal winter at Highlands, NC, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 7 days a year.
How hot does it get in Highlands?
July, with a typical high of 76°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Highlands, NC.
When is the first and last frost in Highlands?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 15, about 167 frost-free days, at Highlands, NC.
What growing zone is Highlands in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Highlands?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Highlands getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than all but 117 U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Highlands.
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.