The Coastal Plain and Piedmont Plateau regions of North Carolina are just within the northern limit of the humid subtropical climate area. In the Blue Ridge the climate is humid continental.
Winters are cold and summers cool in the Blue Ridge and at other higher elevations.
The Piedmont Plateau and Coastal Plain have mild winters because they are relatively low in elevation, are close to the Atlantic, and are protected by high mountains from the cold winter air of the interior of North America. Rainfall in North Carolina comes at all times of year, but in greater amounts in late winter and in summer. Precipitation is higher in the Blue Ridge than in other regions. The southwestern corner of the state has some of the greatest yearly precipitation totals of the eastern United States. Snowfall is sometimes heavy in the Blue Ridge, but the rest of the state receives little snow.