Photo: Badagnani · CC BY-SA 3.0Precipitation in Toast tops that of 88% of U.S. towns: 52 inches a year
In January the night’s low is typically 27°. Winter and summer sit 60° apart. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 68% of U.S. towns. Radiators earn their keep from November to March, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Toast at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Toast’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Toast’s place in North Carolina beside it.
What a year in Toast 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, 0.9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Toast’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 7°. 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 8 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Mt Airy 2 W, NC, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 52 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 137 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Toast
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 Toast’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, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Toast from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (62%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 22%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Toast and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Toast in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Toast’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toast, NC | 27° | 87° | 52" | 8.2" |
| Williamsburg, KY | 26° | 86° | 52" | 11" |
| Tell City, IN | 26° | 87° | 50" | 11" |
| Jefferson City, TN | 28° | 87° | 49" | 10" |
| Harrisburg, IL | 25° | 88° | 48" | 7.2" |
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 Toast averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.7°).
A bigger shift than in 58% 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 Toast compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Toast’s place among North Carolina’s.
Toast weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Toast’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Mt Airy 2 W, NC. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 27° | 4.1" | 3.1" | 11 | 2 | 31° – 43° |
| February | 52° | 30° | 3.3" | 2.2" | 10 | 2 | 33° – 48° |
| March | 60° | 36° | 4.2" | 1.2" | 12 | 0 | 42° – 56° |
| April | 70° | 43° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 52° – 61° |
| May | 77° | 52° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| June | 84° | 60° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| July | 87° | 65° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 72° – 78° |
| August | 86° | 64° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 71° – 79° |
| September | 80° | 57° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| October | 70° | 45° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 62° |
| November | 60° | 35° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 42° – 53° |
| December | 51° | 30° | 4.3" | 1.7" | 12 | 1 | 31° – 50° |
| Year | 69° | 45° | 51.9" | 8.2" | 137 | 5 |
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 50°. July is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Toast’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 Toast’s center.
- Snow: Mt Airy 2 W, NC (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Mt Airy 2 W, NC, 0.9 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 Toast’s climate
What is the weather like in Toast?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 8 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 68% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 63% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Toast in winter?
January nights average 27°. 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 Toast get?
About 8.2 inches in a normal winter at Mt Airy 2 W, NC, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 5 days a year.
How hot does it get in Toast?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 65°. About 24 days a year reach 90° (Mt Airy 2 W, NC).
When is the first and last frost in Toast?
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 Toast in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Toast?
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 Toast getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 58% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Toast.
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.