Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Oakland gets more rain and snow than 90% of U.S. towns: 53 inches of precipitation a year
Midwinter brings lows of about 27°. No month is much wetter than another: May, the wettest, gets little more than August, the driest. In July, afternoons here are warmer than in 74% of U.S. towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to March, which average under 50°.
A year in Oakland at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Oakland’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Oakland’s place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in Oakland feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 204 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 9 and the first by October 30. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mammoth Cave, KY, 8 miles from the town’s center, 180 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Oakland’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 8 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bowling Green, KY, is heaviest from January through February, about 3 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 53 inches a year; May is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 118 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Oakland
66% 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 Mammoth Cave, KY.
Living with Oakland’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
204 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 9 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 30.
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 Oakland from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (34%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Oakland and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Oakland yet.
Climates most like Oakland’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland, KY | 27° | 89° | 53" | 8.0" |
| Union City, TN | 28° | 89° | 53" | 5.8" |
| Cherokee Village, AR | 26° | 90° | 50" | 6.7" |
| Poplar Bluff, MO | 26° | 90° | 50" | 5.4" |
| 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 Oakland averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.0°).
A smaller shift than in 80% 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 Oakland compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Oakland’s place among Kentucky’s.
Oakland weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Oakland’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bowling Green, KY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 27° | 3.9" | 2.5" | 10 | 2 | 28° – 45° |
| February | 50° | 30° | 4.4" | 2.7" | 10 | 1 | 28° – 48° |
| March | 60° | 37° | 4.9" | 1.6" | 11 | 1 | 41° – 60° |
| April | 71° | 45° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 63° |
| May | 79° | 55° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 61° – 73° |
| June | 86° | 63° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 70° – 80° |
| July | 89° | 67° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 74° – 83° |
| August | 89° | 65° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 72° – 83° |
| September | 83° | 58° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| October | 72° | 47° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 65° |
| November | 59° | 36° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 41° – 54° |
| December | 49° | 31° | 4.8" | 1.2" | 11 | 0 | 28° – 51° |
| Year | 69° | 47° | 52.6" | 8.0" | 118 | 4 |
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 51°. July is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Oakland’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 Oakland’s center.
- Snow: Bowling Green, KY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Mammoth Cave, KY, 8 miles from the town’s center, 180 ft higher; 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 Oakland’s climate
What is the weather like in Oakland?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 8 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 68% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 74% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Oakland in winter?
January nights average 27°. About 78 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 28°.
How much snow does Oakland get?
About 8.0 inches in a normal winter at Bowling Green, KY, heaviest from January through February, about 3 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 4 days a year.
How hot does it get in Oakland?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 67°. About 54 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Mammoth Cave, KY).
When is the first and last frost in Oakland?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 9 and the first fall frost by October 30, about 204 frost-free days, at Mammoth Cave, KY.
What growing zone is Oakland 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 Oakland?
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 Oakland getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 80% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Oakland.
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.