Chaumiere des Prairies · Photo: Moonstone3 · CC BY-SA 3.0Precipitation in Keene tops that of 84% of U.S. towns: 50 inches a year
Deep winter brings January lows near 25°. Its January nights stay gentler than in 63% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.2° higher. Plan time outside from April to June and September to October, when highs sit at 67–83°.
A year in Keene at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Keene’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Keene’s place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in Keene feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 196 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 13 and the first by October 28. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lexington Bluegrass Airport, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Keene’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 10 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Keene 1 Wsw, KY, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 50 inches a year; May is the wettest month and November the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 115 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Keene
77% 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 Lexington Bluegrass Airport.
Living with Keene’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
196 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 13 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 28.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Keene from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (54%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Keene and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Keene yet.
Climates most like Keene’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keene, KY | 25° | 86° | 50" | 10" |
| Hockessin, DE | 24° | 86° | 48" | 12" |
| Glenside, PA | 24° | 86° | 48" | 7.6" |
| Forest, VA | 26° | 87° | 47" | 12" |
| Mount Airy, NC | 27° | 87° | 52" | 8.2" |
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 Keene averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 60% 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 Keene compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Keene’s place among Kentucky’s.
Keene weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Keene’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Keene 1 Wsw, KY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 25° | 3.6" | 3.8" | 10 | 25° – 42° |
| February | 47° | 27° | 3.7" | 3.3" | 9 | 25° – 46° |
| March | 56° | 35° | 4.6" | 1.3" | 11 | 39° – 56° |
| April | 67° | 44° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 50° – 62° |
| May | 75° | 54° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 58° – 72° |
| June | 83° | 62° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 68° – 76° |
| July | 86° | 66° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 72° – 80° |
| August | 86° | 64° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 70° – 80° |
| September | 80° | 57° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 64° – 75° |
| October | 69° | 46° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 53° – 63° |
| November | 56° | 35° | 3.3" | 0.2" | 9 | 39° – 51° |
| December | 46° | 29° | 4.2" | 1.6" | 11 | 25° – 48° |
| Year | 66° | 45° | 50.0" | 10.2" | 115 |
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 Keene’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 Keene’s center.
- Snow: Keene 1 Wsw, KY (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lexington Bluegrass 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 Keene’s climate
What is the weather like in Keene?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 10 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 63% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Keene in winter?
January nights average 25°. About 90 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 25°.
How much snow does Keene get?
About 10 inches in a normal winter at Keene 1 Wsw, KY, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Keene?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 66°. About 25 days a year reach 90° (Lexington Bluegrass Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Keene?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 13 and the first fall frost by October 28, about 196 frost-free days, at Lexington Bluegrass Airport.
What growing zone is Keene 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 Keene?
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 Keene getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 60% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Keene.
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.