Poplar Grove · Photo: BSLRed · CC BY-SA 3.0Hardly any U.S. towns collect more precipitation than Porters Neck: 59 inches a year
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 36° on average. Temperatures cover 54° across the year, low to high. By January nights alone, it runs milder than 82% of U.S. towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from December to February, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Porters Neck at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Porters Neck’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Porters Neck’s place in North Carolina beside it.
What a year in Porters Neck feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 247 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 19 and the first by November 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Wilmington International Airport, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Porters Neck’s center in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 18°. 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 59 inches of rain a year
September is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain falls on about 122 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.9" in a normal year at Wilmington International Airport, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Porters Neck
52% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from December 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 Wilmington International Airport.
Living with Porters Neck’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
247 frost-free days in zone 8b. The last frost comes by Mar 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 Nov 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, September, October and November. 1.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Porters Neck from natural hazards, hurricanes are the largest share (68%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Porters Neck and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Porters Neck in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Porters Neck’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porters Neck, NC | 36° | 89° | 59" | 0.9" |
| Oneonta, AL | 32° | 89° | 57" | 1.4" |
| Kosciusko, MS | 34° | 91° | 58" | 1.3" |
| Toccoa, GA | 33° | 89° | 57" | 1.4" |
| Berea, SC | 32° | 89° | 56" | 1.9" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Porters Neck averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.8°).
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 Porters Neck compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Porters Neck’s place among North Carolina’s.
Porters Neck weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Porters Neck’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Wilmington International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 57° | 36° | 3.9" | 0.7" | 10 | 1 | 40° – 52° |
| February | 59° | 38° | 3.5" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 40° – 58° |
| March | 65° | 43° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 48° – 62° |
| April | 73° | 52° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 58° – 67° |
| May | 80° | 60° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| June | 86° | 69° | 5.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 73° – 82° |
| July | 89° | 73° | 6.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 78° – 84° |
| August | 88° | 71° | 7.3" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 77° – 82° |
| September | 83° | 66° | 8.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 72° – 79° |
| October | 75° | 55° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 61° – 70° |
| November | 66° | 45° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| December | 60° | 38° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 38° – 61° |
| Year | 74° | 54° | 58.5" | 0.9" | 122 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 38° to 61°. August is the most reliable, staying within 5°.
Where Porters Neck’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 Porters Neck’s center.
- Snow: Wilmington International Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Wilmington International Airport, 8 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 Porters Neck’s climate
What is the weather like in Porters Neck?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 36°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 82% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 73% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Porters Neck in winter?
January nights average 36°. About 37 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 40°.
How much snow does Porters Neck get?
About 0.9 inches in a normal winter at Wilmington International Airport, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Porters Neck?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 73°. About 45 days a year reach 90° (Wilmington International Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Porters Neck?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 19 and the first fall frost by November 20, about 247 frost-free days, at Wilmington International Airport.
What growing zone is Porters Neck in?
Zone 8b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 18°.
What is the best time of year to visit Porters Neck?
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 Porters Neck 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 Porters Neck.
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.