Steve, I'm not certain simply because we've never tried to get much heat from our stove at this time of the year. We had it to 500 last week but no need to get any hotter. Also, we never load our stove at this time of the year. However, I do believe that it definitely will be easier to get the higher temperatures and a lot quicker once it gets cold. Also, once it gets cold you will have a better bed of coals which will help bring those temperatures up. I would not be concerned over it in the least.