Photo: Jennifer · CC BY-SA 4.0Summer arrives softly in Carolina, cooler than in 81% of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 21°. Precipitation is plentiful here, more than falls on 76% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 2.4° above 1901–2000. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 3, with the first autumn frost due around October 8.
A year in Carolina at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Carolina’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Carolina’s place in Rhode Island beside it.
What a year in Carolina feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 159 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 3 and the first by October 8. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Kingston, RI, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Carolina’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 0°. 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 35 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Kingston, RI, is heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 48 inches a year; March is the wettest month and July 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 Carolina
89% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Kingston, RI.
Living with Carolina’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
159 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by May 3 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 8.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 3.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Carolina from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (74%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Carolina and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Carolina in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Carolina’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina, RI | 21° | 82° | 48" | 35" |
| Shamokin, PA | 19° | 82° | 46" | 34" |
| Lake Mohawk, NJ | 18° | 83° | 49" | 28" |
| Buckhannon, WV | 23° | 83° | 50" | 39" |
| Port Jervis, NY | 17° | 83° | 47" | 43" |
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 Carolina averaged 2.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.9°).
A bigger shift than in 98% 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 Carolina compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Carolina’s place among Rhode Island’s.
Carolina weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Carolina’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Kingston, RI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 21° | 3.8" | 10.0" | 11 | 10 | 21° – 36° |
| February | 40° | 22° | 3.3" | 9.9" | 9 | 9 | 19° – 38° |
| March | 47° | 28° | 4.9" | 6.2" | 10 | 5 | 32° – 45° |
| April | 58° | 37° | 4.4" | 1.1" | 12 | 0 | 44° – 52° |
| May | 68° | 47° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| June | 77° | 56° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 64° – 69° |
| July | 82° | 62° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| August | 81° | 61° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 75° |
| September | 74° | 54° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 61° – 67° |
| October | 63° | 43° | 4.7" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 50° – 60° |
| November | 53° | 34° | 4.0" | 0.6" | 10 | 0 | 39° – 48° |
| December | 44° | 26° | 4.7" | 6.6" | 11 | 5 | 29° – 46° |
| Year | 60° | 41° | 48.0" | 34.5" | 128 | 30 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 38°. June is the most reliable, staying within 5°.
Where Carolina’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 Carolina’s center.
- Snow: Kingston, RI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Kingston, RI, 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 Carolina’s climate
What is the weather like in Carolina?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 35 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 56% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 81% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Carolina in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 128 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does Carolina get?
About 35 inches in a normal winter at Kingston, RI, heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 30 days a year.
How hot does it get in Carolina?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 62°. About 9 days a year reach 90° (Kingston, RI).
When is the first and last frost in Carolina?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 3 and the first fall frost by October 8, about 159 frost-free days, at Kingston, RI.
What growing zone is Carolina in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 0°.
What is the best time of year to visit Carolina?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Carolina getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 98% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Carolina.
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.