Photo: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0A middle-of-the-road climate: Clay City is close to most U.S. towns on every count
Sunny July days climb to about 86°. Precipitation is plentiful here, more than falls on 64% of U.S. towns. February has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 1.2° rise. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 14, with the first autumn frost due around October 26.
A year in Clay City at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Clay City’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Clay City’s place in Indiana beside it.
What a year in Clay City feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 193 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 14 and the first by October 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Shakamak Sp, IN, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Clay City’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −6°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 15 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bowling Green 1 W, IN, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 98 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Clay City
81% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Shakamak Sp, IN.
Living with Clay City’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
193 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 14 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Clay City from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (54%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Clay City and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Clay City yet.
Climates most like Clay City’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay City, IN | 21° | 86° | 46" | 15" |
| South Lebanon, OH | 22° | 86° | 44" | 14" |
| Montgomeryville, PA | 22° | 86° | 49" | 13" |
| Moundsville, WV | 22° | 85° | 43" | 16" |
| Hockessin, DE | 24° | 86° | 48" | 12" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Clay City averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 62% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Clay City compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Clay City’s place among Indiana’s.
Clay City weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Clay City’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bowling Green 1 W, IN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 21° | 3.2" | 5.7" | 9 | 8 | 22° – 40° |
| February | 42° | 24° | 2.5" | 3.0" | 8 | 5 | 21° – 42° |
| March | 53° | 32° | 3.7" | 1.8" | 9 | 1 | 35° – 57° |
| April | 65° | 42° | 4.8" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 47° – 59° |
| May | 75° | 52° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 58° – 72° |
| June | 83° | 62° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 70° – 83° |
| August | 85° | 63° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| September | 79° | 55° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| October | 67° | 44° | 3.7" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| November | 53° | 34° | 3.8" | 0.6" | 8 | 1 | 36° – 50° |
| December | 42° | 25° | 3.2" | 3.4" | 9 | 6 | 20° – 43° |
| Year | 64° | 43° | 45.9" | 14.7" | 98 | 21 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 43°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Clay City’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Clay City’s center.
- Snow: Bowling Green 1 W, IN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Shakamak Sp, IN, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Clay City’s climate
What is the weather like in Clay City?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 55% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 54% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Clay City in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 113 nights a year reach 32° or below and 5 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 22°.
How much snow does Clay City get?
About 15 inches in a normal winter at Bowling Green 1 W, IN, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 21 days a year.
How hot does it get in Clay City?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 65°. About 19 days a year reach 90° (Shakamak Sp, IN).
When is the first and last frost in Clay City?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 14 and the first fall frost by October 26, about 193 frost-free days, at Shakamak Sp, IN.
What growing zone is Clay City in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Clay City?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Clay City getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 62% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Clay City.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.