Photo: Bill Fitzpatrick · CC BY-SA 3.0Gaffney has warmer summer afternoons than 75% of U.S. towns
On a normal January night the air cools to about 30°. A year here swings 60° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. By January nights alone, it runs milder than 72% of U.S. towns. Central heating does most of its work from December to February, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Gaffney at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Gaffney’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Gaffney’s place in South Carolina beside it.
What a year in Gaffney 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 20 and the first by October 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ninety Nine Is, SC, 10 miles from the town’s center, 270 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Gaffney’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 2 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Gaffney 6 E, SC, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 47 inches a year; March is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 117 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Gaffney
75% 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 Ninety Nine Is, SC.
Living with Gaffney’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
186 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Apr 20 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 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 0.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Gaffney from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 12%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Gaffney and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Gaffney yet.
Climates most like Gaffney’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaffney, SC | 30° | 90° | 47" | 1.9" |
| Wake Forest, NC | 30° | 90° | 47" | 1.7" |
| Emporia, VA | 29° | 90° | 48" | 1.4" |
| Sikeston, MO | 28° | 90° | 49" | 3.1" |
| Walnut Ridge, AR | 28° | 90° | 49" | 0.9" |
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 Gaffney averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.0°).
A smaller shift than in 88% 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 Gaffney compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Gaffney’s place among South Carolina’s.
Gaffney weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Gaffney’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Gaffney 6 E, SC. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52° | 30° | 3.8" | 0.5" | 11 | 1 | 35° – 47° |
| February | 56° | 33° | 3.4" | 0.6" | 10 | 0 | 37° – 52° |
| March | 64° | 39° | 4.4" | 0.4" | 11 | 0 | 45° – 60° |
| April | 73° | 47° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 55° – 64° |
| May | 80° | 56° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| June | 86° | 64° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 71° – 79° |
| July | 90° | 68° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 76° – 82° |
| August | 88° | 67° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 74° – 83° |
| September | 82° | 61° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| October | 73° | 49° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 57° – 65° |
| November | 63° | 38° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| December | 55° | 33° | 4.2" | 0.4" | 10 | 0 | 35° – 53° |
| Year | 72° | 49° | 46.6" | 1.9" | 117 | 2 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 35° to 53°. July is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Gaffney’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 Gaffney’s center.
- Snow: Gaffney 6 E, SC.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ninety Nine Is, SC, 10 miles from the town’s center, 270 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 Gaffney’s climate
What is the weather like in Gaffney?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 30°, and about 2 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 72% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 75% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Gaffney in winter?
January nights average 30°. About 93 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 35°.
How much snow does Gaffney get?
About 1.9 inches in a normal winter at Gaffney 6 E, SC, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 2 days a year.
How hot does it get in Gaffney?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 68°. About 34 days a year reach 90° (Ninety Nine Is, SC).
When is the first and last frost in Gaffney?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 20 and the first fall frost by October 24, about 186 frost-free days, at Ninety Nine Is, SC.
What growing zone is Gaffney 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 Gaffney?
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 Gaffney getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 88% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Gaffney.
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.