Climate · Southern Pines

Southern Pines, NC climate

Southern Pines has mild winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 32°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
90°
140th hottest of 773 North Carolina towns
January low
32°
307th mildest of 773 North Carolina towns
Rain + melted snow
47 in
216th driest of 773 North Carolina towns
Snow a winter
1 in
280th least snowy of 763 North Carolina towns
A normal year

What a year in Southern Pines feels like

Winter

55° / 33°
Typical high / low · Snow is rare

Spring

73° / 48°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Apr 1

Summer

89° / 68°
Typical high / low · 55 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

73° / 50°
Typical high / low · First frost around Nov 5
Best months to be outsideMarAprMaySepOctHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Southern Pines 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
January53°32°3.5" 0.7"80 38° – 48°
February57°34°3.1" 0.3"70 37° – 55°
March65°40°3.7" 0.2"80 46° – 61°
April74°48°3.5" 070 56° – 66°
May81°57°3.6" 070 64° – 75°
June87°65°4.7" 080 72° – 80°
July90°69°4.6" 090 76° – 83°
August88°68°4.4" 080 75° – 84°
September83°62°5.2" 070 68° – 78°
October74°50°3.4" 060 58° – 67°
November63°40°3.5" 070 47° – 57°
December55°34°3.7" 0.1"80 35° – 57°
Year72°50°46.8"1.3"891

“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 Southern Pines

Southern Pines gets 47 inches of rain and melted snow a year. September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 89 days a year.

47 in
Rain + melted snow a year
More rain than 76% of U.S. towns
1 in
Snow in a normal winter
Less snow than 85% of U.S. towns
1 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
Fewer than 82% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
5.2"

Snowfall by month

About 1.3" in a normal year, so most winters see none.
Frost & the growing season

About 219 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 1 and the first one by November 5. That leaves about 219 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 82% of U.S. towns.

62
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
0
nights below 0° in a normal year
55
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 Southern Pines

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Southern Pines, 66% of that work is heating and 34% is cooling.

66%heating
3,172 heating degree daysLess heating than 84% of U.S. towns
1,641 cooling degree daysMore cooling than 82% 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.

Around Southern Pines

Southern Pines and its neighbors

Southern Pines borders 4 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.2°. Carthage has the coldest January nights (32°) and Aberdeen the hottest July afternoons (90°). Southern Pines’s January low is 32° and its July high 90°.

Taylortown: January low 32°, July high 90°Aberdeen: January low 32°, July high 90°Carthage: January low 32°, July high 90°Pinehurst: January low 32°, July high 90°Whispering Pines: January low 32°, July high 90°Southern Pines: January low 32°, July high 90° Southern PinesAberdeenCarthagePinehurstWhispering Pines
ColderMilder32° to 32°
Carthage31.5° −0.2°
Whispering Pines31.5° −0.2°
Southern Pines31.7°
Aberdeen31.7° same
Pinehurst31.7° same

Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.

Compared with other towns

How Southern Pines compares

Summer heat90° July high
Hotter than 80% of U.S. towns140th hottest of 773 North Carolina towns
Winter cold32° January low
Milder than 83% of U.S. towns307th mildest of 773 North Carolina towns
Precipitation47" a year
Wetter than 76% of U.S. towns216th driest of 773 North Carolina towns
Snow1" a winter
Less snow than 85% of U.S. towns280th least snowy of 763 North Carolina towns
Growing season219 frost-free days
Longer than 82% of U.S. towns346th shortest of 773 North Carolina towns

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

Then and now

Warmer than it used to be

+1.2°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Southern Pines averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.3°). The shift is smaller than in 55% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+1.8° now 44°, was 43°
🌷 Spring+1.0° now 61°, was 60°
☀️ Summer+1.2° now 78°, was 77°
🍂 Fall+0.7° now 62°, was 61°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Southern Pines’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 35° to 57°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Southern Pines’s climate

What is the coldest month in Southern Pines?

January, with a typical high of 53° and a low of 32°.

What is the hottest month in Southern Pines?

July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 69°. About 55 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Southern Pines get?

About 1 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.

When is the first frost in Southern Pines?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by November 5, and the last spring frost by April 1.

What is the rainiest month in Southern Pines?

September, with 5.2 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 47 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Southern Pines itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Carthage Wtp, NC (9 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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