Rock House · Photo: MarmadukePercy · CC BY-SA 3.0Pilot Mountain gets more rain and snow than 80% of U.S. towns: 49 inches of precipitation a year
Midsummer highs settle at about 87°. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in July and the lightest in February. Its January nights stay gentler than in 69% of U.S. towns. Central heating does most of its work from November to March, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Pilot Mountain at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Pilot Mountain’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Pilot Mountain’s place in North Carolina beside it.
What a year in Pilot Mountain feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 186 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 19 and the first by October 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mt Airy 2 W, NC, 13 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Pilot Mountain’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 8°. 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 6 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at King, NC, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 49 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 128 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Pilot Mountain
82% 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 Airy 2 W, NC.
Living with Pilot Mountain’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
186 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 19 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 0.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Pilot Mountain from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (50%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 31%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Pilot Mountain and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Pilot Mountain yet.
Climates most like Pilot Mountain’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot Mountain, NC | 28° | 87° | 49" | 6.2" |
| Morristown, TN | 28° | 87° | 48" | 8.8" |
| Berlin, MD | 29° | 87° | 46" | 8.0" |
| Penn Wynne, PA | 25° | 87° | 47" | 7.6" |
| Hazard, KY | 26° | 87° | 49" | 8.8" |
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 Pilot Mountain averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.5°).
A bigger shift than in 52% 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 Pilot Mountain compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Pilot Mountain’s place among North Carolina’s.
Pilot Mountain weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Pilot Mountain’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from King, NC. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 28° | 3.9" | 2.5" | 9 | 2 | 31° – 44° |
| February | 52° | 30° | 3.1" | 1.8" | 10 | 1 | 33° – 48° |
| March | 60° | 37° | 4.1" | 0.6" | 11 | 0 | 43° – 57° |
| April | 70° | 44° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 53° – 61° |
| May | 77° | 53° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 60° – 71° |
| June | 84° | 61° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| July | 87° | 66° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 73° – 79° |
| August | 85° | 65° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| September | 80° | 58° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| October | 70° | 46° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 55° – 63° |
| November | 60° | 36° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 43° – 53° |
| December | 51° | 30° | 4.0" | 1.3" | 11 | 1 | 31° – 51° |
| Year | 69° | 46° | 48.8" | 6.2" | 128 | 4 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 31° to 51°. July is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Pilot Mountain’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 Pilot Mountain’s center.
- Snow: King, NC.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Mt Airy 2 W, NC, 13 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 Pilot Mountain’s climate
What is the weather like in Pilot Mountain?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 6 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 63% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Pilot Mountain in winter?
January nights average 28°. About 111 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 31°.
How much snow does Pilot Mountain get?
About 6.2 inches in a normal winter at King, NC, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 4 days a year.
How hot does it get in Pilot Mountain?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 66°. About 24 days a year reach 90° (Mt Airy 2 W, NC).
When is the first and last frost in Pilot Mountain?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 19 and the first fall frost by October 23, about 186 frost-free days, at Mt Airy 2 W, NC.
What growing zone is Pilot Mountain in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 8°.
What is the best time of year to visit Pilot Mountain?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Pilot Mountain getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Pilot Mountain.
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.