Keeneland-Keeneland Racetrack · Photo: Jason Phillips (user:Wildcat~commonswiki) · CC BY 2.5More precipitation falls on Lexington than on 84% of U.S. towns: 50 inches a year
Midwinter brings lows of about 24°. Temperatures cover 62° across the year, low to high. In January, nights here are milder than in 61% of U.S. towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to March, which average under 50°.
A year in Lexington at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lexington’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lexington’s place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in Lexington 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 Lexington Bluegrass Airport, Lexington’s official weather station (the one in National Weather Service reports), 8 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lexington’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 15 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lexington Bluegrass Airport, is heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month. 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 134 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Lexington
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 Lexington’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. 83 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Lexington from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (47%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 18%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lexington and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Lexington yet.
Climates most like Lexington’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington, KY | 24° | 86° | 50" | 15" |
| Lansdale, PA | 22° | 86° | 49" | 13" |
| Hockessin, DE | 24° | 86° | 48" | 12" |
| Mays Landing, NJ | 25° | 86° | 47" | 17" |
| Ashton-Sandy Spring, MD | 25° | 87° | 46" | 16" |
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 Lexington averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 63% 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. In a city of 330,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Lexington compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lexington’s place among Kentucky’s.
Lexington weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Lexington’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lexington Bluegrass Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 24° | 3.6" | 4.7" | 13 | 4 | 25° – 42° |
| February | 46° | 27° | 3.7" | 4.5" | 12 | 4 | 24° – 46° |
| March | 55° | 34° | 4.5" | 2.8" | 13 | 2 | 39° – 56° |
| April | 67° | 43° | 4.6" | 0.2" | 13 | 0 | 49° – 61° |
| May | 75° | 53° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 57° – 71° |
| June | 83° | 61° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| August | 85° | 63° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 80° |
| September | 80° | 56° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 63° – 74° |
| October | 68° | 45° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| November | 56° | 35° | 3.3" | 0.4" | 10 | 0 | 39° – 51° |
| December | 45° | 29° | 4.2" | 1.9" | 13 | 2 | 25° – 48° |
| Year | 66° | 45° | 50.0" | 14.5" | 134 | 12 |
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 Lexington’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 Lexington’s center.
- Snow: Lexington Bluegrass Airport (the official station).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lexington Bluegrass Airport, 8 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; the city’s official station.
- 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 Lexington’s climate
What is the weather like in Lexington?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 61% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 55% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lexington in winter?
January nights average 24°. 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 Lexington get?
About 15 inches in a normal winter at Lexington Bluegrass Airport, heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 12 days a year.
How hot does it get in Lexington?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 65°. About 25 days a year reach 90° (Lexington Bluegrass Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Lexington?
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 Lexington 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 Lexington?
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 Lexington getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 63% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Lexington.
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.