Photo: Smallbones · Public domainOwensboro’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 6 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Owensboro at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Owensboro’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Owensboro’s place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in Owensboro feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 211 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 Calhoun Lock 2, KY, 18 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Owensboro’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 6 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Owensboro 3e, KY, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 48 inches a year; May is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 104 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Owensboro
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 Calhoun Lock 2, KY.
Living with Owensboro’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
211 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. 25 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Owensboro from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (42%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Owensboro and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Owensboro in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Owensboro’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owensboro, KY | 25° | 88° | 48" | 5.7" |
| Monett, MO | 24° | 89° | 47" | 6.7" |
| Springdale, AR | 26° | 89° | 48" | 6.5" |
| Norristown, PA | 23° | 88° | 48" | 7.6" |
| Suitland, MD | 26° | 88° | 45" | 5.8" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Owensboro averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.8°).
A smaller shift than in 86% 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 Owensboro compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Owensboro’s place among Kentucky’s.
Owensboro weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Owensboro’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Owensboro 3e, KY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 25° | 3.6" | 2.3" | 9 | 27° – 44° |
| February | 48° | 28° | 3.5" | 1.3" | 9 | 26° – 46° |
| March | 58° | 36° | 4.4" | 0.4" | 10 | 39° – 60° |
| April | 69° | 45° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 51° – 62° |
| May | 78° | 56° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 61° – 73° |
| June | 86° | 64° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 70° – 79° |
| July | 88° | 68° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 73° – 83° |
| August | 88° | 65° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 72° – 82° |
| September | 82° | 58° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 65° – 76° |
| October | 71° | 46° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 55° – 64° |
| November | 57° | 36° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 40° – 53° |
| December | 47° | 29° | 4.2" | 1.7" | 10 | 26° – 48° |
| Year | 68° | 46° | 48.4" | 5.7" | 104 |
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°. October is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Owensboro’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 Owensboro’s center.
- Snow: Owensboro 3e, KY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Calhoun Lock 2, KY, 18 miles from the city’s center point, 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 Owensboro’s climate
What is the weather like in Owensboro?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 6 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 63% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 69% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Owensboro in winter?
January nights average 25°. About 83 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 27°.
How much snow does Owensboro get?
About 5.7 inches in a normal winter at Owensboro 3e, KY, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Owensboro?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 68°. About 34 days a year reach 90° (Calhoun Lock 2, KY).
When is the first and last frost in Owensboro?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 2 and the first fall frost by November 1, about 211 frost-free days, at Calhoun Lock 2, KY.
What growing zone is Owensboro 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 Owensboro?
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 Owensboro getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 86% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Owensboro.
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.