Photo: Brian Stansberry (photographer) · CC BY 4.0Kingstown gets more rain and snow than 83% of U.S. towns: 50 inches of precipitation a year
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 89°. No month is much wetter than another: June, the wettest, gets little more than February, the driest. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 74% of U.S. towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to February, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Kingstown at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Kingstown’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Kingstown’s place in North Carolina beside it.
What a year in Kingstown feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 195 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 12 and the first by October 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Shelby 2 Nw, NC, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Kingstown’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 3 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Casar, NC, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 50 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 99 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Kingstown
71% 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 Shelby 2 Nw, NC.
Living with Kingstown’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
195 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Apr 12 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, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Kingstown from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Kingstown and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Kingstown yet.
Climates most like Kingstown’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingstown, NC | 29° | 89° | 50" | 3.1" |
| Franklin, VA | 29° | 90° | 49" | 4.1" |
| Sikeston, MO | 28° | 90° | 49" | 3.1" |
| Dyersburg, TN | 29° | 89° | 52" | 3.7" |
| Paragould, AR | 29° | 90° | 51" | 2.5" |
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 Kingstown averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.0°).
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 Kingstown compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Kingstown’s place among North Carolina’s.
Kingstown weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Kingstown’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Casar, NC. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 29° | 4.1" | 1.3" | 9 | 1 | 34° – 46° |
| February | 56° | 32° | 3.5" | 0.4" | 8 | 0 | 36° – 51° |
| March | 63° | 38° | 4.5" | 0.5" | 9 | 0 | 44° – 60° |
| April | 72° | 46° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 54° – 63° |
| May | 79° | 55° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 62° – 71° |
| June | 86° | 63° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| July | 89° | 67° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 75° – 82° |
| August | 87° | 66° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 74° – 83° |
| September | 82° | 60° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| October | 72° | 48° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 57° – 64° |
| November | 62° | 37° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 45° – 55° |
| December | 54° | 32° | 4.4" | 0.9" | 8 | 0 | 34° – 52° |
| Year | 71° | 48° | 49.5" | 3.1" | 99 | 1 |
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 52°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Kingstown’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 Kingstown’s center.
- Snow: Casar, NC.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Shelby 2 Nw, 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 Kingstown’s climate
What is the weather like in Kingstown?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 29°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 71% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 74% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Kingstown 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 34°.
How much snow does Kingstown get?
About 3.1 inches in a normal winter at Casar, NC, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Kingstown?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 67°. About 43 days a year reach 90° (Shelby 2 Nw, NC).
When is the first and last frost in Kingstown?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 12 and the first fall frost by October 25, about 195 frost-free days, at Shelby 2 Nw, NC.
What growing zone is Kingstown 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 Kingstown?
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 Kingstown 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 Kingstown.
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.