Photo: Nyttend · Public domainGlencoe gets more rain and snow than 75% of U.S. towns: 48 inches of precipitation a year
January mornings start at about 24°. Seasons differ by 63°, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. From April to June and September to October, highs of 67–83° make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
A year in Glencoe at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Glencoe’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Glencoe’s place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in Glencoe feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 194 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 17 and the first by October 29. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Warsaw Markland Dam, KY, 8 miles from the town’s center, 260 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Glencoe’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 7 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Warsaw Markland Dam, KY, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 48 inches a year; May is the wettest month and November the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 120 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Glencoe
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 Warsaw Markland Dam, KY.
Living with Glencoe’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
194 frost-free days in zone 6b. 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 29.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 0.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Glencoe from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (63%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Glencoe and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Glencoe yet.
Climates most like Glencoe’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glencoe, KY | 24° | 86° | 48" | 6.5" |
| Glenside, PA | 24° | 86° | 48" | 7.6" |
| Elizabethton, TN | 26° | 86° | 47" | 6.0" |
| Rockville, MD | 25° | 86° | 45" | 5.8" |
| Marshfield, MO | 23° | 87° | 46" | 5.2" |
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 Glencoe averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 56% 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 Glencoe compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Glencoe’s place among Kentucky’s.
Glencoe weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Glencoe’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Warsaw Markland Dam, KY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 24° | 3.3" | 1.5" | 11 | 24° – 42° |
| February | 45° | 26° | 3.3" | 2.8" | 10 | 24° – 45° |
| March | 55° | 34° | 4.4" | 0.7" | 11 | 38° – 57° |
| April | 67° | 44° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 13 | 50° – 62° |
| May | 75° | 53° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 58° – 72° |
| June | 83° | 62° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 68° – 76° |
| July | 86° | 66° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 71° – 81° |
| August | 86° | 64° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 70° – 81° |
| September | 80° | 57° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 65° – 75° |
| October | 68° | 46° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 52° – 63° |
| November | 55° | 35° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 39° – 51° |
| December | 45° | 28° | 3.9" | 1.5" | 11 | 25° – 48° |
| Year | 65° | 45° | 47.8" | 6.5" | 120 |
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 48°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Glencoe’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 Glencoe’s center.
- Snow: Warsaw Markland Dam, KY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Warsaw Markland Dam, KY, 8 miles from the town’s center, 260 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 Glencoe’s climate
What is the weather like in Glencoe?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 59% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Glencoe in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 110 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 24°.
How much snow does Glencoe get?
About 6.5 inches in a normal winter at Warsaw Markland Dam, KY, most of it in February.
How hot does it get in Glencoe?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 66°. About 26 days a year reach 90° (Warsaw Markland Dam, KY).
When is the first and last frost in Glencoe?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 17 and the first fall frost by October 29, about 194 frost-free days, at Warsaw Markland Dam, KY.
What growing zone is Glencoe 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 Glencoe?
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 Glencoe getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 56% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Glencoe.
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.