Climate · Burnsville

Burnsville, NC climate

Burnsville has chilly winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 13 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
81°
24th coolest of 773 North Carolina towns
January low
24°
22nd coldest of 773 North Carolina towns
Rain + melted snow
46 in
181st driest of 773 North Carolina towns
Snow a winter
13 in
23rd snowiest of 763 North Carolina towns
A normal year

What a year in Burnsville feels like

Winter

47° / 26°
Typical high / low · 4 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

64° / 40°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Apr 24

Summer

80° / 58°
Typical high / low · 2 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

65° / 42°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 19
Best months to be outsideMayJunJulAugSepOctHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Burnsville 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
January45°24°3.7" 4.2"103 27° – 41°
February48°27°3.3" 2.3"102 28° – 47°
March56°33°3.8" 3.3"111 36° – 54°
April65°40°4.0" 0.5"110 48° – 57°
May72°47°4.2" 0120 54° – 64°
June78°55°4.4" 0130 63° – 71°
July81°59°5.1" 0120 66° – 73°
August80°58°4.2" 0130 66° – 73°
September75°53°3.8" 0100 60° – 69°
October66°41°3.1" 070 50° – 58°
November56°32°3.2" 0.2"80 38° – 49°
December48°28°3.7" 2.2"101 26° – 49°
Year64°41°46.4"12.7"1257

“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 Burnsville

Burnsville gets 46 inches of rain and melted snow a year. July is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 125 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 7 days of the year.

46 in
Rain + melted snow a year
More rain than 74% of U.S. towns
13 in
Snow in a normal winter
Less snow than 69% of U.S. towns
7 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
Fewer than 71% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
5.1"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
4.2"
Frost & the growing season

About 180 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 24 and the first one by October 19. That leaves about 180 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 53% of U.S. towns.

96
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
<1
nights below 0° in a normal year
2
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 Burnsville

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Burnsville, 88% of that work is heating and 12% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

88%heating
4,576 heating degree daysLess heating than 73% of U.S. towns
635 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 66% 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 Burnsville compares

Summer heat81° July high
Cooler than 82% of U.S. towns24th coolest of 773 North Carolina towns
Winter cold24° January low
Milder than 71% of U.S. towns22nd coldest of 773 North Carolina towns
Precipitation46" a year
Wetter than 74% of U.S. towns181st driest of 773 North Carolina towns
Snow13" a winter
Less snow than 69% of U.S. towns23rd snowiest of 763 North Carolina towns
Growing season180 frost-free days
Longer than 53% of U.S. towns32nd shortest of 773 North Carolina towns
North Carolina climate rankingsSnowiest, mildest, wettest and more in NC →

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

Then and now

Warmer than it used to be

+1.1°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Burnsville averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.2°). The shift is smaller than in 64% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+1.5° now 37°, was 35°
🌷 Spring+1.3° now 52°, was 51°
☀️ Summer+0.6° now 69°, was 68°
🍂 Fall+0.9° now 54°, was 53°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Burnsville’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 26° to 49°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Burnsville’s climate

What is the coldest month in Burnsville?

January, with a typical high of 45° and a low of 24°.

What is the hottest month in Burnsville?

July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 59°. About 2 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Burnsville get?

About 13 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.

When is the first frost in Burnsville?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 19, and the last spring frost by April 24.

What is the rainiest month in Burnsville?

July, with 5.1 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 46 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Burnsville itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Celo 2 S, NC (9 mi, snow) and Burnsville Ag, NC (2 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.

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