Horse Shoe, NC climate
Horse Shoe has chilly winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Horse Shoe feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Horse Shoe weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 28° | 5.1" | 2.9" | 10 | 0 | 29° – 44° |
| February | 52° | 30° | 4.3" | 0.6" | 9 | 0 | 32° – 49° |
| March | 59° | 36° | 5.0" | 1.0" | 11 | 0 | 41° – 56° |
| April | 68° | 43° | 5.0" | 0 | 10 | 0 | 51° – 59° |
| May | 75° | 51° | 4.7" | 0 | 11 | 0 | 58° – 67° |
| June | 80° | 59° | 5.0" | 0 | 11 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| July | 83° | 63° | 4.8" | 0 | 13 | 0 | 70° – 77° |
| August | 82° | 62° | 5.4" | 0 | 13 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| September | 77° | 56° | 4.9" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 64° – 72° |
| October | 68° | 45° | 4.5" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 53° – 60° |
| November | 58° | 35° | 4.6" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 42° – 52° |
| December | 50° | 31° | 5.1" | 2.1" | 10 | 1 | 31° – 51° |
| Year | 67° | 45° | 58.3" | 6.7" | 121 | 2 |
“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 and snow in Horse Shoe
Horse Shoe gets 58 inches of rain and melted snow a year. August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 121 days a year.
About 187 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 17 and the first one by October 23. That leaves about 187 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 60% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Horse Shoe
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Horse Shoe, 85% of that work is heating and 15% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.
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.
Horse Shoe and its neighbors
Horse Shoe borders 2 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 1.0°. Mills River has both the coldest January nights (27°) and the hottest July afternoons (84°). Horse Shoe’s January low is 28° and its July high 83°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How Horse Shoe compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Horse Shoe averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.0°). The shift is smaller than in 75% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Horse Shoe’s spot on NOAA’s grid
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 31° to 51°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Common questions about Horse Shoe’s climate
What is the coldest month in Horse Shoe?
January, with a typical high of 48° and a low of 28°.
What is the hottest month in Horse Shoe?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 63°. About 4 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Horse Shoe get?
About 7 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.
When is the first frost in Horse Shoe?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 23, and the last spring frost by April 17.
What is the rainiest month in Horse Shoe?
August, with 5.4 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 58 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Horse Shoe itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Hendersonville 1 Ne, NC (6 mi, snow) and Asheville 13 S, NC (6 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.