Mar-Mac’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 33°, and about 2 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Mar-Mac at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Mar-Mac’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Mar-Mac’s place in North Carolina beside it.
What a year in Mar-Mac feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 250 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 15 and the first by November 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Goldsboro 4 Se, NC, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Mar-Mac’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 15°. 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 2 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Goldsboro 4 Se, NC, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 51 inches a year; September 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 Mar-Mac
56% 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 Goldsboro 4 Se, NC.
Living with Mar-Mac’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
250 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 15 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 18.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, September, October and November.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Mar-Mac from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (45%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Mar-Mac and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Mar-Mac yet.
Climates most like Mar-Mac’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar-Mac, NC | 33° | 90° | 51" | 2.0" |
| Clemson University, SC | 33° | 90° | 50" | 2.2" |
| Panthersville, GA | 33° | 90° | 51" | 2.2" |
| Blytheville, AR | 31° | 90° | 50" | 2.9" |
| Ripley, TN | 31° | 90° | 53" | 2.4" |
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 Mar-Mac averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 76% 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 Mar-Mac compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Mar-Mac’s place among North Carolina’s.
Mar-Mac weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Mar-Mac’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Goldsboro 4 Se, NC. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 53° | 33° | 3.6" | 1.3" | 12 | 1 | 38° – 49° |
| February | 57° | 35° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 37° – 55° |
| March | 64° | 40° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 46° – 60° |
| April | 74° | 49° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| May | 80° | 58° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 75° |
| June | 87° | 66° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 72° – 81° |
| July | 90° | 70° | 5.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 76° – 83° |
| August | 88° | 69° | 5.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 75° – 82° |
| September | 82° | 63° | 6.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| October | 74° | 51° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 59° – 68° |
| November | 64° | 41° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| December | 56° | 35° | 3.5" | 0.7" | 10 | 0 | 35° – 57° |
| Year | 72° | 51° | 50.7" | 2.0" | 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 35° to 57°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Mar-Mac’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 Mar-Mac’s center.
- Snow: Goldsboro 4 Se, NC.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Goldsboro 4 Se, NC, 5 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 Mar-Mac’s climate
What is the weather like in Mar-Mac?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 33°, and about 2 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 76% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 77% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Mar-Mac in winter?
January nights average 33°. About 42 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 38°.
How much snow does Mar-Mac get?
About 2.0 inches in a normal winter at Goldsboro 4 Se, NC, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 2 days a year.
How hot does it get in Mar-Mac?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 70°. About 61 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Goldsboro 4 Se, NC).
When is the first and last frost in Mar-Mac?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 15 and the first fall frost by November 18, about 250 frost-free days, at Goldsboro 4 Se, NC.
What growing zone is Mar-Mac in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 15°.
What is the best time of year to visit Mar-Mac?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May, September, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Mar-Mac getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 76% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Mar-Mac.
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.