Photo: Plazak · CC BY-SA 3.0More precipitation falls on Grand Rivers than on 84% of U.S. towns: 50 inches a year
January nights here settle around 27°. Only 62° separates winter nights from summer afternoons. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 72% of U.S. towns. Homes need heating from November to March, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Grand Rivers at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Grand Rivers’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Grand Rivers’ place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in Grand Rivers feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 225 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 27 and the first by November 8. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Eddyville 5s, KY, 9 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Grand Rivers’ center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 5°. 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 Smithland L&d, IL, falls mostly in December. 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 109 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Grand Rivers
64% 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 Eddyville 5s, KY.
Living with Grand Rivers’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
225 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Mar 27 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 8.
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 Grand Rivers from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (32%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 18%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Grand Rivers and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Grand Rivers yet.
Climates most like Grand Rivers’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Rivers, KY | 27° | 89° | 50" | 3.8" |
| Morganton, NC | 29° | 89° | 50" | 4.5" |
| Sevierville, TN | 29° | 89° | 51" | 3.6" |
| Suffolk, VA | 30° | 89° | 50" | 4.1" |
| Cherokee Village, AR | 26° | 90° | 50" | 6.7" |
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 Grand Rivers averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.7°).
A smaller shift than in 93% 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 Grand Rivers compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Grand Rivers’ place among Kentucky’s.
Grand Rivers weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Grand Rivers’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Smithland L&d, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 27° | 3.8" | 0.4" | 10 | 1 | 29° – 45° |
| February | 49° | 30° | 4.0" | 1.2" | 9 | 2 | 28° – 48° |
| March | 59° | 38° | 4.6" | 0.4" | 11 | 0 | 42° – 61° |
| April | 70° | 47° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 63° |
| May | 78° | 57° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 63° – 74° |
| June | 86° | 66° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| July | 89° | 70° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 75° – 84° |
| August | 88° | 68° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 73° – 85° |
| September | 82° | 60° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| October | 71° | 48° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| November | 58° | 38° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 41° – 54° |
| December | 48° | 31° | 4.4" | 1.8" | 10 | 1 | 27° – 49° |
| Year | 69° | 48° | 50.1" | 3.8" | 109 | 4 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 27° to 49°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Grand Rivers’ 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 Grand Rivers’ center.
- Snow: Smithland L&d, IL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Eddyville 5s, KY, 9 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft higher; 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 Grand Rivers’ climate
What is the weather like in Grand Rivers?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 68% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 72% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Grand Rivers in winter?
January nights average 27°. About 58 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 29°.
How much snow does Grand Rivers get?
About 3.8 inches in a normal winter at Smithland L&d, IL, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 4 days a year.
How hot does it get in Grand Rivers?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 70°. About 50 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Eddyville 5s, KY).
When is the first and last frost in Grand Rivers?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 27 and the first fall frost by November 8, about 225 frost-free days, at Eddyville 5s, KY.
What growing zone is Grand Rivers in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Grand Rivers?
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 Grand Rivers getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 93% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Grand Rivers.
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.