Cross Keys House · Photo: Bill Fitzpatrick · CC BY-SA 3.0Afternoon heat in Cross Anchor beats that of 82% of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 32°. March is the wettest month, October the driest. By January nights alone, it runs milder than 75% of U.S. towns. Tender plants can go out after about March 29; in half of years the first frost comes by November 4.
A year in Cross Anchor at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cross Anchor’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cross Anchor’s place in South Carolina beside it.
What a year in Cross Anchor feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 219 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 29 and the first by November 4. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Union 8 S, SC, 11 miles from the town’s center, 200 ft lower; frost dates and degree days from Clinton, SC, 12 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cross Anchor’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 13°. 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 1 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Laurens, 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 111 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cross Anchor
62% 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 Clinton, SC.
Living with Cross Anchor’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
219 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 29 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 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cross Anchor from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (65%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 15%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cross Anchor and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cross Anchor yet.
Climates most like Cross Anchor’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cross Anchor, SC | 32° | 91° | 46" | 1.3" |
| Spring Lake, NC | 32° | 91° | 47" | 1.1" |
| Jackson, GA | 33° | 91° | 49" | 0.6" |
| Stuttgart, AR | 33° | 91° | 50" | 3.3" |
| Emporia, VA | 29° | 90° | 48" | 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 Cross Anchor averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.8°).
A smaller shift than in 87% 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 Cross Anchor compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cross Anchor’s place among South Carolina’s.
Cross Anchor weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cross Anchor’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Laurens, SC. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 32° | 4.1" | 0.5" | 11 | 0 | 37° – 49° |
| February | 58° | 35° | 3.6" | 0.4" | 10 | 0 | 39° – 55° |
| March | 65° | 41° | 4.5" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 47° – 62° |
| April | 74° | 48° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 57° – 66° |
| May | 81° | 57° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| June | 88° | 66° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 73° – 81° |
| July | 91° | 69° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 77° – 84° |
| August | 89° | 68° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 76° – 84° |
| September | 83° | 62° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| October | 74° | 50° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 58° – 66° |
| November | 64° | 39° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| December | 56° | 34° | 4.2" | 0.2" | 11 | 0 | 36° – 55° |
| Year | 73° | 50° | 46.4" | 1.3" | 111 | 0 |
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 Cross Anchor’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 Cross Anchor’s center.
- Snow: Laurens, SC.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Clinton, SC, 12 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Union 8 S, SC, 11 miles from the town’s center, 200 ft lower; 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 Cross Anchor’s climate
What is the weather like in Cross Anchor?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 32°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 75% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 82% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cross Anchor in winter?
January nights average 32°. About 87 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 37°.
How much snow does Cross Anchor get?
About 1.3 inches in a normal winter at Laurens, SC, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 0 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cross Anchor?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 69°. About 56 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Clinton, SC).
When is the first and last frost in Cross Anchor?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 29 and the first fall frost by November 4, about 219 frost-free days, at Clinton, SC.
What growing zone is Cross Anchor in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 13°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cross Anchor?
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 Cross Anchor getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 87% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cross Anchor.
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.