Photo: W.marsh · CC BY-SA 3.0Manchester’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Manchester at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Manchester’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Manchester’s place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in Manchester feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 170 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 29 and the first by October 16. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Manchester 4 W, KY, 2.6 miles from the town’s center, 130 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Manchester’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 9 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Oneida, KY, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 52 inches a year; July is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 122 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Manchester
82% 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 Manchester 4 W, KY.
Living with Manchester’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
170 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 29 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 16.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Manchester from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (71%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Manchester and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Manchester yet.
Climates most like Manchester’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester, KY | 25° | 87° | 52" | 8.6" |
| Mount Airy, NC | 27° | 87° | 52" | 8.2" |
| Tell City, IN | 26° | 87° | 50" | 11" |
| Ambler, PA | 23° | 87° | 49" | 7.6" |
| Hockessin, DE | 24° | 86° | 48" | 12" |
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 Manchester averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.4°).
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 Manchester compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Manchester’s place among Kentucky’s.
Manchester weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Manchester’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Oneida, KY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 25° | 4.1" | 2.4" | 12 | 2 | 27° – 42° |
| February | 50° | 29° | 4.2" | 2.7" | 11 | 1 | 28° – 47° |
| March | 59° | 35° | 4.7" | 1.2" | 12 | 1 | 39° – 57° |
| April | 70° | 43° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 50° – 62° |
| May | 77° | 52° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 58° – 71° |
| June | 84° | 60° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| July | 87° | 65° | 5.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 71° – 79° |
| August | 86° | 64° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 70° – 80° |
| September | 81° | 57° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| October | 70° | 44° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 54° – 62° |
| November | 58° | 34° | 3.5" | 0.2" | 8 | 0 | 40° – 51° |
| December | 49° | 28° | 4.9" | 2.1" | 12 | 1 | 28° – 50° |
| Year | 68° | 45° | 52.2" | 8.6" | 122 | 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 50°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Manchester’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 Manchester’s center.
- Snow: Oneida, KY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Manchester 4 W, KY, 2.6 miles from the town’s center, 130 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 Manchester’s climate
What is the weather like in Manchester?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 63% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 60% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Manchester in winter?
January nights average 25°. About 113 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 27°.
How much snow does Manchester get?
About 8.6 inches in a normal winter at Oneida, KY, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 5 days a year.
How hot does it get in Manchester?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 65°. About 25 days a year reach 90° (Manchester 4 W, KY).
When is the first and last frost in Manchester?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 29 and the first fall frost by October 16, about 170 frost-free days, at Manchester 4 W, KY.
What growing zone is Manchester 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 Manchester?
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 Manchester getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° 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 Manchester.
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.