Zack Stansbury House · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainPrecipitation in Mount Washington tops that of 85% of U.S. towns: 50 inches a year
Midsummer highs settle at about 87°. A year here swings 62° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 63% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around April 6; autumn frost returns near November 1.
A year in Mount Washington at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Mount Washington’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Mount Washington’s place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in Mount Washington 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 6 and the first by November 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Louisville Wfo, KY, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Mount Washington’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 4 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Shepherdsville 5ne, KY, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 50 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 97 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Mount Washington
75% 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 Louisville Wfo, KY.
Living with Mount Washington’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
209 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 6 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. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Mount Washington from natural hazards, tornadoes are the largest share (32%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 23%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Mount Washington and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Mount Washington yet.
Climates most like Mount Washington’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Washington, KY | 25° | 87° | 50" | 3.5" |
| Lenoir, NC | 28° | 88° | 50" | 4.1" |
| Elizabethton, TN | 26° | 86° | 47" | 6.0" |
| Conshohocken, PA | 24° | 87° | 48" | 7.6" |
| Harrisburg, IL | 25° | 88° | 48" | 7.2" |
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 Mount Washington averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 66% 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 Mount Washington compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Mount Washington’s place among Kentucky’s.
Mount Washington weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Mount Washington’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Shepherdsville 5ne, KY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 25° | 3.4" | 1.9" | 8 | 26° – 43° |
| February | 47° | 28° | 3.5" | 0.6" | 7 | 26° – 47° |
| March | 57° | 35° | 4.6" | 0.2" | 9 | 39° – 58° |
| April | 68° | 45° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 50° – 62° |
| May | 77° | 55° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 60° – 73° |
| June | 84° | 63° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 70° – 78° |
| July | 87° | 67° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 72° – 82° |
| August | 87° | 65° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 71° – 82° |
| September | 81° | 58° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 65° – 76° |
| October | 69° | 46° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 53° – 64° |
| November | 57° | 36° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 40° – 51° |
| December | 46° | 29° | 4.2" | 0.8" | 9 | 26° – 48° |
| Year | 67° | 46° | 50.3" | 3.5" | 97 |
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 48°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Mount Washington’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 Mount Washington’s center.
- Snow: Shepherdsville 5ne, KY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Louisville Wfo, 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 Mount Washington’s climate
What is the weather like in Mount Washington?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 63% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 62% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Mount Washington in winter?
January nights average 25°. About 85 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Mount Washington get?
About 3.5 inches in a normal winter at Shepherdsville 5ne, KY, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Mount Washington?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 67°. About 30 days a year reach 90° (Louisville Wfo, KY).
When is the first and last frost in Mount Washington?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 6 and the first fall frost by November 1, about 209 frost-free days, at Louisville Wfo, KY.
What growing zone is Mount Washington 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 Mount Washington?
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 Mount Washington getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 66% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Mount Washington.
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.