Olive Hill C & O Depot · Photo: CoryClaxon · CC BY-SA 3.0A middle-of-the-road climate: Olive Hill is close to most U.S. towns on every count
Sunny July days climb to about 86°. The seasons are far apart: from a winter night to a summer afternoon the average spans 63°. Precipitation is plentiful here, more than falls on 67% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 10, with the first autumn frost due around October 31.
A year in Olive Hill at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Olive Hill’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Olive Hill’s place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in Olive Hill feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 201 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 10 and the first by October 31. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Olive Hill 5ne, KY, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; frost dates and degree days from Gimlet 9n, KY, 6 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Olive Hill’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −2°. 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 3 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Grayson Lake, KY, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 47 inches a year; July is the wettest month and November the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 131 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Olive Hill
81% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Gimlet 9n, KY.
Living with Olive Hill’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
201 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 10 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 31.
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 Olive Hill from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (63%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 21%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Olive Hill and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Olive Hill yet.
Climates most like Olive Hill’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olive Hill, KY | 23° | 86° | 47" | 3.4" |
| Pottstown, PA | 22° | 87° | 47" | 4.2" |
| Marshfield, MO | 23° | 87° | 46" | 5.2" |
| Rockville, MD | 25° | 86° | 45" | 5.8" |
| Centralia, IL | 23° | 87° | 45" | 6.5" |
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 Olive Hill averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 71% 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 Olive Hill compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Olive Hill’s place among Kentucky’s.
Olive Hill weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Olive Hill’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Grayson Lake, KY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 23° | 3.3" | 0.7" | 13 | 1 | 25° – 42° |
| February | 47° | 26° | 3.2" | 2.0" | 10 | 0 | 24° – 44° |
| March | 56° | 32° | 4.3" | 0.3" | 13 | 1 | 38° – 56° |
| April | 68° | 41° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| May | 76° | 50° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 56° – 70° |
| June | 84° | 59° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| July | 86° | 63° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| August | 85° | 62° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| September | 80° | 55° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| October | 69° | 43° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 53° – 61° |
| November | 57° | 33° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 38° – 50° |
| December | 46° | 27° | 3.9" | 0.4" | 12 | 0 | 26° – 47° |
| Year | 66° | 43° | 46.5" | 3.4" | 131 | 2 |
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 47°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Olive Hill’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 Olive Hill’s center.
- Snow: Grayson Lake, KY.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Gimlet 9n, KY, 6 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Olive Hill 5ne, KY, 4 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 Olive Hill’s climate
What is the weather like in Olive Hill?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 57% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Olive Hill in winter?
January nights average 23°. About 133 nights a year reach 32° or below and 5 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 25°.
How much snow does Olive Hill get?
About 3.4 inches in a normal winter at Grayson Lake, KY, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 2 days a year.
How hot does it get in Olive Hill?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 63°. About 5 days a year reach 90° (Gimlet 9n, KY).
When is the first and last frost in Olive Hill?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 10 and the first fall frost by October 31, about 201 frost-free days, at Gimlet 9n, KY.
What growing zone is Olive Hill in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −2°.
What is the best time of year to visit Olive Hill?
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 Olive Hill getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 71% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Olive Hill.
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.