Photo: W.marsh · CC BY-SA 3.0Albany’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Albany at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Albany’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Albany’s place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in Albany feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 196 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 12 and the first by October 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Byrdstown, TN, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Albany’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 3°. 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 4 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Albany, KY, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 54 inches a year; July is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 100 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Albany
78% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Byrdstown, TN.
Living with Albany’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
196 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 12 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 25.
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 Albany from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (56%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 15%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Albany and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Albany yet.
Climates most like Albany’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany, KY | 27° | 87° | 54" | 3.8" |
| Mount Airy, NC | 27° | 87° | 52" | 8.2" |
| Paris, TN | 28° | 89° | 54" | 5.2" |
| Rainsville, AL | 31° | 87° | 57" | 5.0" |
| Oakwood, GA | 32° | 88° | 55" | 1.6" |
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 Albany averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.8°).
A smaller shift than in 88% 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 Albany compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Albany’s place among Kentucky’s.
Albany weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Albany’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Albany, KY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 27° | 4.7" | 1.5" | 9 | 1 | 28° – 44° |
| February | 50° | 30° | 4.8" | 0.9" | 8 | 1 | 29° – 49° |
| March | 59° | 36° | 5.2" | 1.2" | 9 | 0 | 40° – 58° |
| April | 69° | 44° | 5.1" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| May | 76° | 54° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 59° – 72° |
| June | 84° | 61° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| July | 87° | 66° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| August | 86° | 64° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 70° – 81° |
| September | 81° | 57° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| October | 70° | 46° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 54° – 64° |
| November | 59° | 36° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 41° – 52° |
| December | 49° | 30° | 5.2" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 28° – 51° |
| Year | 68° | 46° | 54.3" | 3.8" | 100 | 2 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 28° to 51°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Albany’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 Albany’s center.
- Snow: Albany, KY (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Byrdstown, TN, 8 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 Albany’s climate
What is the weather like in Albany?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 67% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 59% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Albany in winter?
January nights average 27°. About 94 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 28°.
How much snow does Albany get?
About 3.8 inches in a normal winter at Albany, KY, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 2 days a year.
How hot does it get in Albany?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 66°. About 15 days a year reach 90° (Byrdstown, TN).
When is the first and last frost in Albany?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 12 and the first fall frost by October 25, about 196 frost-free days, at Byrdstown, TN.
What growing zone is Albany in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Albany?
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 Albany getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 88% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Albany.
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.