Fort Mitchell Heights Historic District · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainWeather without surprises: Fort Wright keeps close to the norm for U.S. towns
July afternoons average 87°. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 60% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.2° above 1901–2000. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 18, with the first autumn frost due around October 25.
A year in Fort Wright at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fort Wright’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fort Wright’s place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in Fort Wright feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 188 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 18 and the first by October 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cincinnati Northern Ky Airport, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fort Wright’s center in zone 6b: 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 23 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cincinnati Northern Ky Airport, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 45 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 136 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fort Wright
81% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Cincinnati Northern Ky Airport.
Living with Fort Wright’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
188 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 18 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. 1.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fort Wright from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (35%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 23%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fort Wright and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Fort Wright in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Fort Wright’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 Wright, KY | 24° | 87° | 45" | 23" |
| Harrisburg, PA | 23° | 86° | 44" | 24" |
| Warrenton, VA | 25° | 86° | 44" | 21" |
| Taneytown, MD | 22° | 87° | 44" | 28" |
| Middletown, DE | 25° | 87° | 45" | 20" |
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 Wright averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 62% 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 Wright compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fort Wright’s place among Kentucky’s.
Fort Wright weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fort Wright’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cincinnati Northern Ky Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 24° | 3.2" | 7.7" | 13 | 8 | 23° – 42° |
| February | 44° | 26° | 3.0" | 6.7" | 12 | 6 | 23° – 44° |
| March | 54° | 34° | 3.9" | 3.4" | 13 | 2 | 37° – 56° |
| April | 66° | 43° | 4.5" | 0.4" | 13 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| May | 76° | 53° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 58° – 72° |
| June | 84° | 62° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| July | 87° | 66° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 71° – 81° |
| August | 86° | 65° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 71° – 81° |
| September | 80° | 57° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| October | 68° | 45° | 3.2" | 0.2" | 9 | 0 | 53° – 62° |
| November | 55° | 35° | 3.1" | 0.8" | 10 | 1 | 39° – 51° |
| December | 44° | 28° | 3.5" | 4.1" | 12 | 4 | 25° – 46° |
| Year | 65° | 45° | 44.5" | 23.3" | 136 | 22 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 46°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Fort Wright’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 Wright’s center.
- Snow: Cincinnati Northern Ky Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cincinnati Northern Ky Airport, 7 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 Wright’s climate
What is the weather like in Fort Wright?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 23 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 58% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 60% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fort Wright in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 100 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 23°.
How much snow does Fort Wright get?
About 23 inches in a normal winter at Cincinnati Northern Ky Airport, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 22 days a year.
How hot does it get in Fort Wright?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 66°. About 22 days a year reach 90° (Cincinnati Northern Ky Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Fort Wright?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 18 and the first fall frost by October 25, about 188 frost-free days, at Cincinnati Northern Ky Airport.
What growing zone is Fort Wright in?
Zone 6b 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 Wright?
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 Fort Wright getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 62% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fort Wright.
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.