Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 4.0Hazel gets more rain and snow than 92% of U.S. towns: 54 inches of precipitation a year
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 89°. A year here swings 61° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. In July, afternoons here are warmer than in 70% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs November to March: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Hazel at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hazel’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hazel’s place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in Hazel feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 209 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 5 and the first by November 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Murray, KY, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hazel’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 6°. 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 Murray, KY, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 54 inches a year; May is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 117 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Hazel
70% 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 Murray, KY.
Living with Hazel’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
209 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 5 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 1.
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 Hazel from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (35%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 17%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hazel and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Hazel yet.
Climates most like Hazel’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazel, KY | 28° | 89° | 54" | 6.5" |
| Knoxville, TN | 29° | 88° | 54" | 4.6" |
| Marion, NC | 28° | 88° | 58" | 7.1" |
| Cherokee Village, AR | 26° | 90° | 50" | 6.7" |
| Suffolk, VA | 30° | 89° | 50" | 4.1" |
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 Hazel averaged 0.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.3°).
A smaller shift than in 97% 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 Hazel compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hazel’s place among Kentucky’s.
Hazel weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Hazel’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Murray, KY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 28° | 4.0" | 2.3" | 11 | 2 | 29° – 45° |
| February | 50° | 31° | 4.8" | 1.8" | 10 | 1 | 29° – 49° |
| March | 60° | 38° | 5.3" | 1.0" | 12 | 1 | 42° – 60° |
| April | 70° | 47° | 5.3" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| May | 78° | 57° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 63° – 74° |
| June | 85° | 65° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 70° – 80° |
| July | 89° | 69° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 74° – 82° |
| August | 88° | 67° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 72° – 85° |
| September | 82° | 60° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| October | 71° | 48° | 3.6" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 56° – 66° |
| November | 58° | 38° | 4.3" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 41° – 54° |
| December | 48° | 31° | 5.1" | 1.1" | 11 | 1 | 28° – 49° |
| Year | 69° | 48° | 53.6" | 6.5" | 117 | 5 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 28° to 49°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Hazel’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 Hazel’s center.
- Snow: Murray, KY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Murray, KY, 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 Hazel’s climate
What is the weather like in Hazel?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 70% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Hazel in winter?
January nights average 28°. About 71 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 29°.
How much snow does Hazel get?
About 6.5 inches in a normal winter at Murray, KY, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 5 days a year.
How hot does it get in Hazel?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 69°. About 46 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Murray, KY).
When is the first and last frost in Hazel?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 5 and the first fall frost by November 1, about 209 frost-free days, at Murray, KY.
What growing zone is Hazel in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Hazel?
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 Hazel getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 97% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Hazel.
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.