Photo: Burnsidegen · CC BY-SA 3.0Stem’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 2 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Stem at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Stem’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Stem’s place in North Carolina beside it.
What a year in Stem feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 222 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 30 and the first by November 6. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Oxford Ag, NC, 10 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Stem’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 10°. 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 Butner Fltr Plt, NC, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 97 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Stem
70% 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 Oxford Ag, NC.
Living with Stem’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
222 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 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 Nov 6.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 0.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Stem from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (53%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Stem and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Stem yet.
Climates most like Stem’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stem, NC | 28° | 89° | 46" | 1.7" |
| Gaffney, SC | 30° | 90° | 47" | 1.9" |
| Newport, TN | 28° | 88° | 47" | 3.3" |
| Sikeston, MO | 28° | 90° | 49" | 3.1" |
| Pikeville, KY | 27° | 88° | 47" | 1.4" |
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 Stem averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 67% 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 Stem compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Stem’s place among North Carolina’s.
Stem weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Stem’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Butner Fltr Plt, NC. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50° | 28° | 3.5" | 1.2" | 8 | 0 | 34° – 46° |
| February | 54° | 31° | 2.9" | 0.3" | 7 | 0 | 33° – 50° |
| March | 62° | 36° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 43° – 57° |
| April | 72° | 45° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 54° – 64° |
| May | 79° | 54° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 61° – 72° |
| June | 86° | 63° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| July | 89° | 67° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 75° – 81° |
| August | 88° | 66° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 73° – 82° |
| September | 81° | 59° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| October | 72° | 47° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 56° – 65° |
| November | 62° | 37° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 44° – 55° |
| December | 54° | 31° | 3.6" | 0.2" | 9 | 0 | 33° – 53° |
| Year | 71° | 47° | 45.8" | 1.7" | 97 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 33° to 53°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Stem’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 Stem’s center.
- Snow: Butner Fltr Plt, NC.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Oxford Ag, NC, 10 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 Stem’s climate
What is the weather like in Stem?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 2 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 70% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 74% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Stem in winter?
January nights average 28°. About 69 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 34°.
How much snow does Stem get?
About 1.7 inches in a normal winter at Butner Fltr Plt, NC, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 0 days a year.
How hot does it get in Stem?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 67°. About 38 days a year reach 90° (Oxford Ag, NC).
When is the first and last frost in Stem?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 30 and the first fall frost by November 6, about 222 frost-free days, at Oxford Ag, NC.
What growing zone is Stem in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Stem?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Stem getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 67% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Stem.
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.