Southerland-Burnette House · Photo: Quincy Morgan · CC0More precipitation falls on Mount Olive than on 87% of U.S. towns: 51 inches a year
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 33°. A year here swings 57° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 77% of U.S. towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from December to February, which average under 50°.
A year in Mount Olive at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Mount Olive’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Mount Olive’s place in North Carolina beside it.
What a year in Mount Olive feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 226 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 28 and the first by November 7. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mt Olive 6se, NC, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Mount Olive’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 Clinton 2 Ne, 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 118 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Mount Olive
64% 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 Mt Olive 6se, NC.
Living with Mount Olive’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
226 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 28 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 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, September, October and November. 0.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Mount Olive from natural hazards, hurricanes are the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Mount Olive and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Mount Olive yet.
Climates most like Mount Olive’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Olive, NC | 33° | 90° | 51" | 1.8" |
| Panthersville, GA | 33° | 90° | 51" | 2.2" |
| Taylors, SC | 32° | 89° | 51" | 1.9" |
| Osceola, AR | 31° | 91° | 53" | 1.8" |
| 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 Mount Olive averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 84% 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 Mount Olive compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Mount Olive’s place among North Carolina’s.
Mount Olive weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Mount Olive’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Clinton 2 Ne, NC. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 33° | 3.6" | 0.8" | 11 | 1 | 38° – 49° |
| February | 57° | 35° | 3.2" | 0.5" | 10 | 0 | 37° – 55° |
| March | 65° | 40° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 46° – 60° |
| April | 74° | 49° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| May | 80° | 58° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 75° |
| June | 87° | 66° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 72° – 81° |
| July | 90° | 70° | 5.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 76° – 83° |
| August | 88° | 69° | 5.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 76° – 82° |
| September | 83° | 63° | 6.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| October | 74° | 51° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 59° – 68° |
| November | 64° | 41° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| December | 57° | 35° | 3.5" | 0.5" | 11 | 0 | 35° – 57° |
| Year | 73° | 51° | 51.3" | 1.8" | 118 | 1 |
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 6°.
Where Mount Olive’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 Mount Olive’s center.
- Snow: Clinton 2 Ne, NC.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Mt Olive 6se, NC, 6 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 Mount Olive’s climate
What is the weather like in Mount Olive?
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 Mount Olive in winter?
January nights average 33°. About 63 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 38°.
How much snow does Mount Olive get?
About 1.8 inches in a normal winter at Clinton 2 Ne, NC, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Mount Olive?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 70°. About 44 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Mt Olive 6se, NC).
When is the first and last frost in Mount Olive?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 28 and the first fall frost by November 7, about 226 frost-free days, at Mt Olive 6se, NC.
What growing zone is Mount Olive 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 Mount Olive?
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 Mount Olive getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 84% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Mount Olive.
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.