US Bullion Depository, Fort Knox, Kentucky · Photo: Work permit Original author=Cliff · CC BY-SA 4.0Precipitation in Fort Knox tops that of 84% of U.S. towns: 50 inches a year
July afternoons average 87°. In January, nights here are milder than in 63% of U.S. towns. December has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 1.1° rise. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 19, with the first autumn frost due around October 24.
A year in Fort Knox at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fort Knox’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fort Knox’s place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in Fort Knox feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 186 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 19 and the first by October 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Brandenburg, KY, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fort Knox’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 5 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Elizabethtown Wp Cs, KY, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 50 inches a year; May is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 122 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fort Knox
80% 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 Brandenburg, KY.
Living with Fort Knox’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
186 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 19 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 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 28 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fort Knox from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (34%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fort Knox and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Fort Knox in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Fort Knox’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Knox, KY | 25° | 87° | 50" | 4.5" |
| Elizabethton, TN | 26° | 86° | 47" | 6.0" |
| Ardmore, PA | 24° | 87° | 48" | 7.6" |
| Mount Airy, NC | 27° | 87° | 52" | 8.2" |
| Marshfield, MO | 23° | 87° | 46" | 5.2" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Fort Knox averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 71% 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 Fort Knox compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fort Knox’s place among Kentucky’s.
Fort Knox weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fort Knox’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Elizabethtown Wp Cs, KY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 25° | 3.6" | 2.0" | 11 | 1 | 26° – 43° |
| February | 47° | 28° | 3.7" | 1.6" | 10 | 0 | 26° – 46° |
| March | 57° | 35° | 4.7" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 39° – 58° |
| April | 68° | 45° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 51° – 62° |
| May | 76° | 55° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 59° – 72° |
| June | 84° | 63° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| July | 87° | 66° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 72° – 82° |
| August | 87° | 65° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 82° |
| September | 81° | 57° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 64° – 75° |
| October | 69° | 46° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 53° – 63° |
| November | 57° | 35° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 40° – 52° |
| December | 46° | 29° | 4.4" | 0.8" | 12 | 0 | 26° – 48° |
| Year | 67° | 46° | 49.9" | 4.5" | 122 | 1 |
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 48°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Fort Knox’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 Fort Knox’s center.
- Snow: Elizabethtown Wp Cs, KY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Brandenburg, KY, 9 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 Fort Knox’s climate
What is the weather like in Fort Knox?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 5 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 63% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 61% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fort Knox in winter?
January nights average 25°. About 109 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 26°.
How much snow does Fort Knox get?
About 4.5 inches in a normal winter at Elizabethtown Wp Cs, KY, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Fort Knox?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 66°. About 27 days a year reach 90° (Brandenburg, KY).
When is the first and last frost in Fort Knox?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 19 and the first fall frost by October 24, about 186 frost-free days, at Brandenburg, KY.
What growing zone is Fort Knox 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 Fort Knox?
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 Fort Knox getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 71% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fort Knox.
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.