Photo: Porsche997SBS · Public domainLinville is among the wettest of U.S. towns: 63 inches of precipitation a year
July afternoons average 75°. Winter and summer sit 53° apart. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 98% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs November to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Linville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Linville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Linville’s place in North Carolina beside it.
What a year in Linville 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 14. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Banner Elk, NC, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Linville’s center in zone 6b: 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 63 inches of rain a year
July is the wettest month and February the driest.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Linville
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 Banner Elk, NC.
Living with Linville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
167 frost-free days in zone 6b. 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 14.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Linville from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (75%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Linville and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Linville yet.
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 Linville averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 73% 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 Linville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Linville’s place among North Carolina’s.
Linville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Linville’s center. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 23° | 5.2" | 23° – 37° |
| February | 42° | 25° | 4.0" | 24° – 43° |
| March | 49° | 30° | 5.4" | 32° – 50° |
| April | 59° | 38° | 5.7" | 43° – 53° |
| May | 66° | 46° | 5.7" | 51° – 61° |
| June | 72° | 54° | 5.7" | 59° – 67° |
| July | 75° | 58° | 5.9" | 63° – 70° |
| August | 74° | 57° | 5.4" | 62° – 70° |
| September | 69° | 51° | 5.6" | 57° – 65° |
| October | 60° | 41° | 4.9" | 47° – 55° |
| November | 50° | 32° | 4.8" | 35° – 47° |
| December | 43° | 26° | 5.0" | 24° – 45° |
| Year | 58° | 40° | 63.2" |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 24° to 45°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Linville’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 Linville’s center.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Banner Elk, NC, 7 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 Linville’s climate
What is the weather like in Linville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 75°, a January night drops to 23°. Milder January nights than 54% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 98% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Linville in winter?
January nights average 23°. About 127 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 23°.
How hot does it get in Linville?
July, with a typical high of 75°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Banner Elk, NC.
When is the first and last frost in Linville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 14, about 167 frost-free days, at Banner Elk, NC.
What growing zone is Linville in?
Zone 6b 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 Linville?
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 Linville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 73% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Linville.
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.