Cedar Bluff · Photo: Bill Fitzpatrick · CC BY-SA 3.0Summer arrives in force in Buffalo, hotter than in 83% of U.S. towns
In January the night’s low is typically 31°. Only 60° separates winter nights from summer afternoons. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 74% of U.S. towns. Homes need heating from December to February, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Buffalo at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Buffalo’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Buffalo’s place in South Carolina beside it.
What a year in Buffalo feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 210 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 4 and the first by November 1. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Union 8 S, SC, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; frost dates and degree days from Santuck, SC, 11 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Buffalo’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 11°. 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 3 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Santuck, SC, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; March is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 112 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Buffalo
63% 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 Santuck, SC.
Living with Buffalo’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
210 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Apr 4 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 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, September and October. 0.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Buffalo from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (42%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 19%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Buffalo and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Buffalo yet.
Climates most like Buffalo’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo, SC | 31° | 91° | 46" | 2.9" |
| Sanford, NC | 31° | 90° | 46" | 2.4" |
| Stuttgart, AR | 33° | 91° | 50" | 3.3" |
| Colonial Heights, VA | 29° | 90° | 47" | 3.5" |
| Muskogee, OK | 28° | 93° | 46" | 2.6" |
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 Buffalo averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.9°).
A smaller shift than in 85% 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 Buffalo compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Buffalo’s place among South Carolina’s.
Buffalo weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Buffalo’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Santuck, SC. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 31° | 4.0" | 1.4" | 10 | 1 | 36° – 48° |
| February | 58° | 34° | 3.5" | 0.8" | 9 | 0 | 39° – 54° |
| March | 65° | 40° | 4.3" | 0.4" | 11 | 0 | 47° – 62° |
| April | 74° | 48° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 57° – 66° |
| May | 81° | 57° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| June | 88° | 66° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 73° – 81° |
| July | 91° | 69° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 77° – 84° |
| August | 89° | 68° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 76° – 84° |
| September | 84° | 62° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| October | 74° | 50° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 58° – 66° |
| November | 64° | 39° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| December | 56° | 34° | 4.3" | 0.3" | 10 | 0 | 36° – 55° |
| Year | 73° | 50° | 45.7" | 2.9" | 112 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 36° to 55°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Buffalo’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 Buffalo’s center.
- Snow: Santuck, SC.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Santuck, SC, 11 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Union 8 S, SC, 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 Buffalo’s climate
What is the weather like in Buffalo?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 31°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 74% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 83% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Buffalo in winter?
January nights average 31°. About 87 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 36°.
How much snow does Buffalo get?
About 2.9 inches in a normal winter at Santuck, SC, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Buffalo?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 69°. About 56 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Santuck, SC).
When is the first and last frost in Buffalo?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 4 and the first fall frost by November 1, about 210 frost-free days, at Santuck, SC.
What growing zone is Buffalo in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 11°.
What is the best time of year to visit Buffalo?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Buffalo getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 85% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Buffalo.
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.