Highlands, NC

Climate overview — based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals from HIGHLANDS, NC US.

Cfb Oceanic climate 7b USDA hardiness Zone 7b

Year-round temperatures (°F)

20° 40° 60° 80° J F M A M J J A S O N D
Avg high Avg low

Climate summary

Highlands has an annual average temperature of 50.9°F with about 88.3 inches of precipitation per year and 10.2 inches of snow. The warmest month is July (average high 77.7°F), and the coldest is January (average low 23.9°F). December is typically the wettest month (8.65 in) and October the driest (6.47 in). Snow typically falls from December through May.

Pleasant months
4 / 12
avg high 65–80°F, low ≥ 50°F
Annual swing
34.6°F
warmest to coldest month
Heating need
5,208
Cooling need
123

Best time to visit Highlands

Full guide →

Climate change signal

All-time records →

5 of 366 (1.4%) of Highlands's all-time daily heat records have been set since 2015. If records were spread evenly across the station's history, only about 5% would fall in any given decade.

1870s
0
1880s
0
1890s
1
1900s
4
1910s
6
1920s
87
1930s
149
1940s
66
1950s
12
1960s
5
1970s
7
1980s
10
1990s
4
2000s
7
2010s
3
2020s
5

Bars: number of all-time daily heat records still standing that were set in each decade.

Monthly averages

Month Avg High Avg Low Avg Temp Precipitation Snow Rainy days
January 42.3°F 23.9°F 33.1°F 7.99 in 2.6 in 14
February 46.4°F 26.3°F 36.3°F 6.90 in 2.0 in 14
March 53.7°F 31.7°F 42.7°F 7.60 in 1.8 in 14
April 62.1°F 38.6°F 50.3°F 6.98 in 12
May 69.3°F 46.8°F 58.0°F 6.60 in 0.2 in 14
June 74.8°F 54.2°F 64.5°F 7.16 in 15
July 77.7°F 57.7°F 67.7°F 7.09 in 17
August 76.1°F 56.7°F 66.4°F 7.10 in 16
September 71.4°F 51.1°F 61.3°F 7.98 in 12
October 62.5°F 40.8°F 51.7°F 6.47 in 10
November 53.1°F 31.6°F 42.4°F 7.76 in 0.1 in 11
December 45.1°F 27.1°F 36.1°F 8.65 in 3.5 in 14

Climate twins of Highlands

Why these? →

The most climatically similar US cities at least 140 miles away (by monthly temperature + precipitation pattern).

Frost dates
Last spring / first fall frost
All-time records
Hottest, coldest, wettest
Planting calendar
What to plant, and when

Compare Highlands to another city