Photo: Nyttend · Public domainJuly in Bracey runs hotter than in 75% of U.S. towns
Nights in January average 29°. Temperatures cover 61° across the year, low to high. In January, nights here are milder than in 70% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 5, with the first autumn frost due around November 1.
A year in Bracey at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bracey’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bracey’s place in Virginia beside it.
What a year in Bracey 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 5 and the first by November 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at John H Kerr Dam, VA, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bracey’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 10°. 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 6 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Arcola, NC, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 98 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bracey
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 John H Kerr Dam, VA.
Living with Bracey’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 5 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: April, May, September and October. 11 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bracey from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (59%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bracey and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Bracey yet.
Climates most like Bracey’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bracey, VA | 29° | 90° | 46" | 5.5" |
| Bessemer City, NC | 30° | 89° | 47" | 5.6" |
| Fayetteville, AR | 26° | 89° | 47" | 6.5" |
| Washington, DC | 27° | 89° | 44" | 5.8" |
| Fruitland, MD | 27° | 89° | 46" | 8.0" |
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 Bracey averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 55% 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 Bracey compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bracey’s place among Virginia’s.
Bracey weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bracey’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Arcola, NC. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50° | 29° | 3.4" | 3.0" | 9 | 33° – 45° |
| February | 53° | 31° | 2.8" | 1.0" | 7 | 34° – 50° |
| March | 61° | 36° | 4.0" | 0.3" | 9 | 43° – 58° |
| April | 71° | 46° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 54° – 64° |
| May | 78° | 55° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 61° – 73° |
| June | 86° | 64° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 71° – 80° |
| July | 90° | 68° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 74° – 82° |
| August | 88° | 67° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 73° – 81° |
| September | 82° | 60° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 67° – 77° |
| October | 72° | 47° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 56° – 65° |
| November | 61° | 37° | 3.2" | 0.1" | 7 | 44° – 55° |
| December | 53° | 32° | 3.5" | 1.1" | 9 | 33° – 53° |
| Year | 70° | 48° | 45.6" | 5.5" | 98 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 33° to 53°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Bracey’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 Bracey’s center.
- Snow: Arcola, NC.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: John H Kerr Dam, VA, 11 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 Bracey’s climate
What is the weather like in Bracey?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 29°, and about 6 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 70% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 75% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bracey in winter?
January nights average 29°. About 80 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 33°.
How much snow does Bracey get?
About 5.5 inches in a normal winter at Arcola, NC, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Bracey?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 68°. About 59 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (John H Kerr Dam, VA).
When is the first and last frost in Bracey?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 5 and the first fall frost by November 1, about 210 frost-free days, at John H Kerr Dam, VA.
What growing zone is Bracey in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bracey?
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 Bracey getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 55% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bracey.
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.