On such occasions, temperatures have dropped to the lower 10 s F. Average July temperatures are in the lower 80 s on the Coastal Plain and the Piedmont, and range from about 74 to 78 in the mountains. Daytime temperatures are often in the lower 100 s and have risen occasionally to the lower 110 s. The high humidity makes very hot days exceedingly uncomfortable. However, the amount of precipitation varies greatly from year to year, and prolonged dry spells, although infrequent, occasionally cause crop failures and water shortages. More than half of all annual precipitation falls during the spring and summer.
Snow is rare in the lowlands, but there are sometimes heavy snowfalls in the mountains.