30-year climate normals

Swain County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — July

73.7°

average daily high. The coldest month is January, averaging a low of 22.2°F.

Swain County gets 73.86" of precipitation a year, and 27% of it falls in Dec, Jan, Feb.

Temperature through the year

Each bar spans the average daily low to the average daily high for that month.

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Precip
January	39.0°	22.2°	6.81"
February	41.9°	24.6°	6.04"
March	49.3°	29.6°	6.56"
April	58.3°	37.8°	6.00"
May	66.0°	46.8°	6.19"
June	70.9°	53.8°	6.12"
July	73.7°	57.3°	7.33"
August	72.3°	56.5°	5.07"
September	67.8°	51.3°	5.43"
October	59.3°	41.2°	5.43"
November	50.2°	32.3°	5.87"
December	42.7°	26.7°	7.01"

Rainfall by month

Precipitation is spread fairly evenly through the year here, with 27% falling in the wettest three months (Dec, Jan, Feb).

January 6.81"

February 6.04"

March 6.56"

April 6.00"

May 6.19"

June 6.12"

July 7.33"

August 5.07"

September 5.43"

October 5.43"

November 5.87"

December 7.01"

Annual total 73.86"

What this climate costs you

Degree days measure how hard a building has to work to stay comfortable. They are the reason two identical houses have very different power bills, and they are the link between the weather here and what you pay every month.

Cooling degree days How much air conditioning the climate demands 143

Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 6,020

Approximate annual cooling cost At 15.09¢/kWh, North Carolina average $22

Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $318

These are rough planning figures from degree days and the state electricity price, not a bill estimate. House size, insulation and fuel type move them a lot. See the full cost of owning a home in Swain County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Swain County?

Swain County averages a high of 73.7°F in July and a low of 22.2°F in January. Annual precipitation is 73.86 inches, with essentially no snow.

When is the rainy season in Swain County?

The wettest stretch is Dec, Jan, Feb, which accounts for 27% of the year's precipitation. Precipitation is relatively evenly distributed across the year.

How hot does it get in Swain County?

The average daily high in July, the hottest month, is 73.7°F. That drives 143 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Swain County?

Effectively no. Measurable snowfall is rare in Swain County.

Sources

Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station NEWFOUND GAP, TN US (USC00406500), 3.6 miles from the county centroid.
Heating and cooling degree days — NOAA, same station and period.
Electricity price — US Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, North Carolina residential average.
Wet-season share is the wettest three consecutive months as a percentage of annual precipitation, calculated from the monthly normals.