Photo: Vbofficial · Public domainBetsy Layne gets more rain and snow than 73% of U.S. towns: 48 inches of precipitation a year
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 87°. Precipitation peaks in July and eases off in November. Its January nights stay gentler than in 66% of U.S. towns. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly April 23 to October 23.
A year in Betsy Layne at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Betsy Layne’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Betsy Layne’s place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in Betsy Layne feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 183 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first by October 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Prestonsburg 3wsw, KY, 13 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Betsy Layne’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 1 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Pikeville Ksp Post 9, KY, is heaviest from January through February, about 1 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 48 inches a year; July is the wettest month and November the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 134 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Betsy Layne
82% 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 Prestonsburg 3wsw, KY.
Living with Betsy Layne’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
183 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 23 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Betsy Layne from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (93%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Betsy Layne and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Betsy Layne yet.
Climates most like Betsy Layne’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Betsy Layne, KY | 26° | 87° | 48" | 1.4" |
| Roxboro, NC | 28° | 88° | 46" | 3.4" |
| Clarksville, IN | 25° | 88° | 49" | 4.3" |
| Perryville, MO | 24° | 88° | 46" | 4.7" |
| South Boston, VA | 27° | 88° | 46" | 5.5" |
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 Betsy Layne averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.4°).
A smaller shift than in 97% 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 Betsy Layne compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Betsy Layne’s place among Kentucky’s.
Betsy Layne weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Betsy Layne’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Pikeville Ksp Post 9, KY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 26° | 3.5" | 0.5" | 13 | 0 | 27° – 43° |
| February | 50° | 29° | 3.7" | 0.5" | 12 | 0 | 28° – 47° |
| March | 59° | 34° | 4.3" | 0.2" | 13 | 0 | 40° – 58° |
| April | 71° | 43° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 51° – 62° |
| May | 78° | 52° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 58° – 71° |
| June | 85° | 60° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| July | 87° | 65° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 71° – 79° |
| August | 86° | 64° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 72° – 80° |
| September | 81° | 57° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| October | 70° | 45° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 54° – 63° |
| November | 59° | 34° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 40° – 52° |
| December | 49° | 29° | 4.2" | 0.2" | 11 | 0 | 29° – 50° |
| Year | 68° | 45° | 47.6" | 1.4" | 134 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 29° to 50°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Betsy Layne’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 Betsy Layne’s center.
- Snow: Pikeville Ksp Post 9, KY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Prestonsburg 3wsw, KY, 13 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft lower; 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 Betsy Layne’s climate
What is the weather like in Betsy Layne?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 66% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 63% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Betsy Layne in winter?
January nights average 26°. About 106 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 27°.
How much snow does Betsy Layne get?
About 1.4 inches in a normal winter at Pikeville Ksp Post 9, KY, heaviest from January through February, about 1 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Betsy Layne?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 65°. About 25 days a year reach 90° (Prestonsburg 3wsw, KY).
When is the first and last frost in Betsy Layne?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 23 and the first fall frost by October 23, about 183 frost-free days, at Prestonsburg 3wsw, KY.
What growing zone is Betsy Layne 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 Betsy Layne?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Betsy Layne getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 97% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Betsy Layne.
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.