Colvin-Fant-Durham Farm Complex · Photo: Bill Fitzpatrick · CC BY-SA 3.0Gayle Mill has warmer summer afternoons than 83% of U.S. towns
On a normal January night the air cools to about 32°. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 74% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 0.8° more than in 1901–2000, led by December. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from December to February, which average under 50°.
A year in Gayle Mill at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Gayle Mill’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Gayle Mill’s place in South Carolina beside it.
What a year in Gayle Mill feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 213 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 3 and the first by November 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Chester 1 Se, SC, 2.8 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Gayle Mill’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 12°. 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 44 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 Gayle Mill
66% 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 Chester 1 Se, SC.
Living with Gayle Mill’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
213 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Apr 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 Nov 2.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Gayle Mill from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (37%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 22%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Gayle Mill and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Gayle Mill yet.
Climates most like Gayle Mill’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gayle Mill, SC | 32° | 91° | 44" | 2.9" |
| Chapel Hill, NC | 29° | 90° | 47" | 2.8" |
| Coweta, OK | 28° | 93° | 44" | 2.7" |
| Colonial Heights, VA | 29° | 90° | 47" | 3.5" |
| Stuttgart, AR | 33° | 91° | 50" | 3.3" |
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 Gayle Mill averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.8°).
A smaller shift than in 91% 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 Gayle Mill compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Gayle Mill’s place among South Carolina’s.
Gayle Mill weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Gayle Mill’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° | 32° | 3.8" | 1.4" | 10 | 1 | 37° – 48° |
| February | 58° | 34° | 3.3" | 0.8" | 9 | 0 | 38° – 55° |
| March | 65° | 40° | 4.1" | 0.4" | 11 | 0 | 46° – 62° |
| April | 74° | 48° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 57° – 66° |
| May | 81° | 57° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| June | 88° | 65° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 72° – 81° |
| July | 91° | 69° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 77° – 84° |
| August | 89° | 68° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 76° – 84° |
| September | 83° | 62° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| October | 74° | 50° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 58° – 67° |
| November | 64° | 39° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| December | 56° | 34° | 3.9" | 0.3" | 10 | 0 | 35° – 55° |
| Year | 73° | 50° | 43.9" | 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 35° to 55°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Gayle Mill’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 Gayle Mill’s center.
- Snow: Santuck, SC.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Chester 1 Se, SC, 2.8 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft higher; 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 Gayle Mill’s climate
What is the weather like in Gayle Mill?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 32°, 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 Gayle Mill in winter?
January nights average 32°. About 83 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 37°.
How much snow does Gayle Mill 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 Gayle Mill?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 69°. About 54 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Chester 1 Se, SC).
When is the first and last frost in Gayle Mill?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 3 and the first fall frost by November 2, about 213 frost-free days, at Chester 1 Se, SC.
What growing zone is Gayle Mill in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Gayle Mill?
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 Gayle Mill getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 91% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Gayle Mill.
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.