Photo: Bart Everson · CC BY 4.0More precipitation falls on Fordsville than on 87% of U.S. towns: 51 inches a year
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 26° on average. A year here swings 62° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. By July afternoons alone, it runs hotter than 67% of U.S. towns. Plan time outside for April, May, September and October, when highs sit at 69–82°.
A year in Fordsville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fordsville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fordsville’s place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in Fordsville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 187 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 17 and the first by October 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Rough Rvr Lake, KY, 12 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fordsville’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 1°. 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 Rough Rvr Lake, KY, falls mostly in January. 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 105 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fordsville
76% 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 Rough Rvr Lake, KY.
Living with Fordsville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
187 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 17 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 Fordsville from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (49%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 12%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fordsville and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Fordsville yet.
Climates most like Fordsville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fordsville, KY | 26° | 88° | 51" | 4.4" |
| Lenoir, NC | 28° | 88° | 50" | 4.1" |
| Seymour, TN | 29° | 88° | 52" | 4.6" |
| Cherokee Village, AR | 26° | 90° | 50" | 6.7" |
| Jackson, MO | 25° | 89° | 48" | 7.5" |
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 Fordsville averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.0°).
A smaller shift than in 82% 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 Fordsville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fordsville’s place among Kentucky’s.
Fordsville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fordsville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Rough Rvr Lake, KY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 26° | 3.7" | 2.1" | 9 | 2 | 28° – 44° |
| February | 48° | 28° | 3.8" | 1.4" | 9 | 2 | 27° – 46° |
| March | 58° | 36° | 4.7" | 0.2" | 10 | 1 | 39° – 60° |
| April | 69° | 45° | 5.2" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 50° – 62° |
| May | 77° | 55° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 60° – 73° |
| June | 85° | 63° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| July | 88° | 67° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 72° – 83° |
| August | 87° | 64° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 71° – 81° |
| September | 82° | 57° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| October | 71° | 46° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 54° – 64° |
| November | 57° | 36° | 4.0" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 40° – 53° |
| December | 47° | 29° | 4.6" | 0.4" | 10 | 1 | 26° – 50° |
| Year | 68° | 46° | 51.1" | 4.4" | 105 | 6 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 26° to 50°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Fordsville’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 Fordsville’s center.
- Snow: Rough Rvr Lake, KY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Rough Rvr Lake, KY, 12 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 Fordsville’s climate
What is the weather like in Fordsville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 64% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 67% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fordsville in winter?
January nights average 26°. About 117 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 28°.
How much snow does Fordsville get?
About 4.4 inches in a normal winter at Rough Rvr Lake, KY, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 6 days a year.
How hot does it get in Fordsville?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 67°. About 54 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Rough Rvr Lake, KY).
When is the first and last frost in Fordsville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 17 and the first fall frost by October 23, about 187 frost-free days, at Rough Rvr Lake, KY.
What growing zone is Fordsville in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Fordsville?
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 Fordsville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fordsville.
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.