Climate · Helen

Helen, GA climate

Helen has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 29°, and about 2 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
87°
27th coolest of 676 Georgia towns
January low
29°
18th coldest of 676 Georgia towns
Rain + melted snow
64 in
11th wettest of 676 Georgia towns
Snow a winter
2 in
85th snowiest of 644 Georgia towns
A normal year

What a year in Helen feels like

Winter

53° / 31°
Typical high / low · Snow is rare

Spring

70° / 45°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Apr 11

Summer

86° / 63°
Typical high / low · 25 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

71° / 47°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 28
Best months to be outsideAprMayJunSepOctHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Helen weather by month

Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet daysSnow on ground30-yr range
January51°29°6.1" 0.5"100 32° – 46°
February55°32°5.5" 0.7"110 35° – 51°
March62°38°5.8" 0100 43° – 59°
April71°44°5.3" 090 54° – 62°
May78°53°4.7" 0100 60° – 70°
June84°61°5.4" 0120 69° – 76°
July87°65°5.1" 0110 72° – 79°
August86°64°5.8" 0120 72° – 80°
September81°58°4.4" 080 67° – 75°
October71°47°4.8" 070 55° – 63°
November61°37°5.3" 080 44° – 55°
December53°32°6.1" 0.3"110 33° – 52°
Year70°47°64.2"1.5"1201

“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.

Rain & snow

Rain and snow in Helen

Helen gets 64 inches of rain and melted snow a year. December is the wettest month and September the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 120 days a year.

64 in
Rain + melted snow a year
More rain than 99% of U.S. towns
2 in
Snow in a normal winter
Less snow than 84% of U.S. towns
1 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
Fewer than 81% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
6.1"

Snowfall by month

About 1.5" in a normal year, so most winters see none.
Frost & the growing season

About 197 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 11 and the first one by October 28. That leaves about 197 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 70% of U.S. towns.

80
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
<1
nights below 0° in a normal year
25
days that reach 90° in a normal year

Freezing nights by month

Average nights at or below 32°

90° days by month

Average days at 90° or more
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Helen

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Helen, 78% of that work is heating and 22% is cooling.

78%heating
3,815 heating degree daysLess heating than 80% of U.S. towns
1,069 cooling degree daysMore cooling than 63% of U.S. towns

Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.

Compared with other towns

How Helen compares

Summer heat87° July high
Hotter than 65% of U.S. towns27th coolest of 676 Georgia towns
Winter cold29° January low
Milder than 81% of U.S. towns18th coldest of 676 Georgia towns
Precipitation64" a year
Wetter than 99% of U.S. towns11th wettest of 676 Georgia towns
Snow2" a winter
Less snow than 84% of U.S. towns85th snowiest of 644 Georgia towns
Growing season197 frost-free days
Longer than 70% of U.S. towns12th shortest of 675 Georgia towns

Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.

Then and now

Warmer than it used to be

+0.6°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Helen averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.8°). The shift is smaller than in 94% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+1.2° now 42°, was 41°
🌷 Spring+0.6° now 58°, was 57°
☀️ Summer+0.2° now 74°, was 74°
🍂 Fall+0.4° now 59°, was 59°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Helen’s spot on NOAA’s grid

Year to year

How much a month can swing

A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. December swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 33° to 52°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Helen’s climate

What is the coldest month in Helen?

January, with a typical high of 51° and a low of 29°.

What is the hottest month in Helen?

July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 65°. About 25 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Helen get?

About 2 inches in a normal winter, most of it in February.

When is the first frost in Helen?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 28, and the last spring frost by April 11.

What is the rainiest month in Helen?

December, with 6.1 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 64 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Helen itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Helen, GA (1 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.

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