Photo: OPMaster · CC BY-SA 3.0Wet weather: 51 inches of rain and melted snow a year in Bowling Green, more than in 87% of U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 89°. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 62°. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 74% of U.S. towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to March, which average under 50°.
A year in Bowling Green at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bowling Green’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bowling Green’s place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in Bowling Green feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 208 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 5 and the first by October 31. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Bowling Green Warren Co Airport, 1.0 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bowling Green’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 4°. 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 9 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bowling Green Warren Co Airport, is heaviest from January through February, about 3 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 51 inches a year; May is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 126 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bowling Green
69% 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 Bowling Green Warren Co Airport.
Living with Bowling Green’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
208 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 5 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 31.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 43 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bowling Green from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bowling Green and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Bowling Green yet.
Climates most like Bowling Green’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowling Green, KY | 28° | 89° | 51" | 8.5" |
| Cherokee Village, AR | 26° | 90° | 50" | 6.7" |
| Caruthersville, MO | 30° | 90° | 50" | 6.6" |
| Morganton, NC | 29° | 89° | 50" | 4.5" |
| Chester, VA | 28° | 90° | 47" | 9.8" |
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 Bowling Green averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 76% 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 Bowling Green compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bowling Green’s place among Kentucky’s.
Bowling Green weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bowling Green’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bowling Green Warren Co Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 28° | 3.7" | 3.2" | 11 | 2 | 28° – 45° |
| February | 51° | 30° | 4.2" | 2.9" | 11 | 2 | 29° – 48° |
| March | 60° | 37° | 4.8" | 1.4" | 12 | 1 | 42° – 61° |
| April | 71° | 46° | 4.8" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| May | 79° | 56° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 60° – 74° |
| June | 86° | 64° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 70° – 80° |
| July | 89° | 68° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 74° – 84° |
| August | 89° | 66° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 72° – 84° |
| September | 83° | 59° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| October | 72° | 47° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 56° – 66° |
| November | 60° | 37° | 3.8" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 42° – 54° |
| December | 49° | 31° | 4.6" | 0.8" | 12 | 1 | 28° – 51° |
| Year | 69° | 47° | 51.2" | 8.5" | 126 | 6 |
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 9°.
Where Bowling Green’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 Bowling Green’s center.
- Snow: Bowling Green Warren Co Airport (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Bowling Green Warren Co Airport, 1.0 miles from the city’s center point, 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 Bowling Green’s climate
What is the weather like in Bowling Green?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 74% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bowling Green in winter?
January nights average 28°. About 82 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 28°.
How much snow does Bowling Green get?
About 8.5 inches in a normal winter at Bowling Green Warren Co Airport, heaviest from January through February, about 3 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 6 days a year.
How hot does it get in Bowling Green?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 68°. About 47 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Bowling Green Warren Co Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Bowling Green?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 5 and the first fall frost by October 31, about 208 frost-free days, at Bowling Green Warren Co Airport.
What growing zone is Bowling Green in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bowling Green?
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 Bowling Green getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 76% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bowling Green.
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.