Bradford Porter House · Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0More precipitation falls on Manitou than on 84% of U.S. towns: 50 inches a year
Expect July afternoons of about 89°. Precipitation peaks in May and eases off in August. By July afternoons alone, it runs hotter than 72% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs November to March: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Manitou at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Manitou’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Manitou’s place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in Manitou feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 212 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 2 and the first by November 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Madisonville, KY, 3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Manitou’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 3°. 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 Princeton 1 Se, KY, is heaviest from January through February, about 3 inches a month. 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 113 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Manitou
68% 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 Madisonville, KY.
Living with Manitou’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
212 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 2 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 Manitou from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (41%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 14%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Manitou and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Manitou yet.
Climates most like Manitou’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manitou, KY | 27° | 89° | 50" | 8.5" |
| Cherokee Village, AR | 26° | 90° | 50" | 6.7" |
| Poplar Bluff, MO | 26° | 90° | 50" | 5.4" |
| Bon Air, VA | 28° | 89° | 47" | 8.8" |
| Morganton, NC | 29° | 89° | 50" | 4.5" |
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 Manitou averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.7°).
A smaller shift than in 83% 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 Manitou compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Manitou’s place among Kentucky’s.
Manitou weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Manitou’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Princeton 1 Se, KY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 27° | 3.6" | 2.6" | 10 | 1 | 28° – 44° |
| February | 49° | 30° | 4.0" | 2.7" | 10 | 1 | 28° – 49° |
| March | 59° | 38° | 4.9" | 1.4" | 11 | 0 | 40° – 61° |
| April | 70° | 47° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 63° |
| May | 78° | 57° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 62° – 74° |
| June | 86° | 65° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| July | 89° | 69° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 74° – 83° |
| August | 88° | 67° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 72° – 84° |
| September | 82° | 59° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 66° – 77° |
| October | 71° | 48° | 3.7" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 55° – 65° |
| November | 58° | 37° | 4.0" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 40° – 54° |
| December | 47° | 30° | 4.5" | 1.6" | 11 | 1 | 26° – 49° |
| Year | 68° | 48° | 50.1" | 8.5" | 113 | 3 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 26° to 49°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Manitou’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 Manitou’s center.
- Snow: Princeton 1 Se, KY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Madisonville, KY, 3 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 Manitou’s climate
What is the weather like in Manitou?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 67% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 72% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Manitou in winter?
January nights average 27°. About 80 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 28°.
How much snow does Manitou get?
About 8.5 inches in a normal winter at Princeton 1 Se, KY, heaviest from January through February, about 3 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 3 days a year.
How hot does it get in Manitou?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 69°. About 53 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Madisonville, KY).
When is the first and last frost in Manitou?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 2 and the first fall frost by November 1, about 212 frost-free days, at Madisonville, KY.
What growing zone is Manitou in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Manitou?
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 Manitou getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 83% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Manitou.
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.