Gastonia, North Carolina Weather
Thunder quiets the land. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Gastonia weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 10:26 AM EDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Clear11%—92°68°—
- TuesdaySep 22Mostly Clear87%6.0″87°70°-5°
- WednesdaySep 23Light Showers87%1.1″69°58°-18°
- ThursdaySep 24Showers49%0.29″64°55°-5°
- FridaySep 25Overcast——75°50°+11°
- SaturdaySep 26Overcast——78°49°+3°
- SundaySep 27Overcast——79°55°+1°
Air quality now AQI 49 · Good
AQI 49 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI projected to climb to 73 over the next 6 hours. PM2.5 at 9.4 µg/m³ (AQI 52) with a 0.96 fine-to-coarse ratio and 1 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion during the projected peak around 7 PM.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 42 now. With UV 3.5 peaking around 1 PM under clear skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 20.
- Present
- AQI 42
- UV peak
- 3.5 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- clear
- Projected peak
- AQI 20
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 9.4 µg/m³ (AQI 52) with a 0.96 fine-to-coarse ratio and 1 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.96
- Wind
- calm
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- stagnant smoke
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- 4:44 PM
- Moonset
- 2:00 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder quiets the land
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Gastonia at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 80°F (high 92°F, low 68°F), 10°F above the 70°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: March 27 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 4 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
16-Day Forecast — Gastonia
- Mon92°68°11%
- Tue87°70°87%
- Wed69°58°87%
- Thu64°55°49%
- Fri75°50°1%
- Sat78°49°1%
- Sun79°55°2%
- Mon82°58°4%
- Tue81°58°8%
- Wed82°58°21%
- Thu82°62°15%
- Fri84°63°16%
- Sat83°65°16%
- Sun72°67°16%
- Mon72°57°14%
- Tue66°49°23%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Gastonia
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Gastonia — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Late season
As of September 21, the first frost (around November 9) is about 7 weeks away. Frost-tender plants keep producing until then. This city's planting calendar for September: harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Gastonia
SPC has placed Gastonia in the Marginal Risk category for severe thunderstorms today.
- TODAYMRGLMarginal Risk
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- DAY 3TSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
Isolated severe storms possible. Limited threat for hail or damaging wind.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook.
Sun & seasons in Gastonia
Gastonia sits in Gaston County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 32m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 47m — a swing of +4h 46m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Charlotte, the state’s largest city, lies about 20 miles to the E. The nearest town Gastonia tracks is Charlotte, roughly 20 miles to the E.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| March | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | radishes |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, spinach, radishes |
| May | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| June | beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| August | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| September | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| November | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| December | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
July is Gastonia's warmest stretch (~79°F) and January its coldest (~40°F); precipitation crests in August at 5.1 inches and ebbs in October to 2.4 inches.
| Month | Mean temp | Precip |
|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 4.2″ |
| February | 43° | 4.0″ |
| March | 51° | 4.4″ |
| April | 59° | 3.6″ |
| May | 68° | 3.5″ |
| June | 75° | 3.9″ |
| July | 79° | 4.5″ |
| August | 77° | 5.1″ |
| September | 72° | 3.5″ |
| October | 62° | 2.4″ |
| November | 50° | 3.6″ |
| December | 42° | 4.5″ |
Regional context
Similar climates Springdale, NC, Ranlo, NC, Dallas, NC
In Gastonia, modelled 1991-2020 normals (EC_Earth3P_HR model via Open-Meteo) put January near 40°F and July near 79°F — a 39°F seasonal arc — with about 47 inches of precipitation.
Gastonia's precipitation spreads evenly across the seasons: August peaks at 5.1 inches, while October holds 2.4 inches — no season dominates Gastonia's rain calendar. It is a balanced pattern Gastonia shares with places like Springdale, NC, Ranlo, NC and Dallas, NC.
Once Gastonia passes March 27, freezes fade and Gastonia's beds take peas, lettuce, spinach, and radishes. Heat-demanding starts go out a fortnight on in Gastonia, after the soil warms and cold snaps clear. By November 9, frost is back in Gastonia — protect or harvest anything tender. That date is a median: Gastonia freezes sooner in half of years.
Similar climates: Springdale, NC, Ranlo, NC, Dallas, NC, Lowell, NC, Spencer Mountain, NC.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Gastonia?
- In Gastonia, expect the last spring frost near March 27; Gastonia's first autumn frost comes around November 9.
- What is the rainy season in Gastonia?
- August is the wettest month in Gastonia, about 5.1 inches on average; the year totals roughly 47 inches.
- What is the warmest month in Gastonia?
- On average July tops the year in Gastonia at about 79°F.
- What is the coldest month in Gastonia?
- The coldest stretch in Gastonia falls in January, around 40°F on average.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Gastonia?
- Hardy spring crops go in near March 27 in Gastonia; tender peppers and squash wait 10–14 days.
- What hardiness zone is Gastonia?
- Because Gastonia bottoms near 40°F in January, that winter low sets Gastonia's USDA zone — verify by ZIP.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Gastonia?
- Gastonia's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Gastonia?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Gastonia in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Gastonia?
- Current conditions for Gastonia and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Gastonia forecast updated?
- The Gastonia forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Gastonia?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Gastonia are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Gastonia?
- The next few days in Gastonia's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Gastonia sits at 35.2°N; its climate zone is humid subtropical (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Gastonia
- 28052
- 28054
- 28056