Photo: Nyttend · Public domainPikeville’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Pikeville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Pikeville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Pikeville’s place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in Pikeville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 206 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 8 and the first by November 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Williamson, WV, 19 miles from the town’s center, 280 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Pikeville’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 4°. 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 1 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Pikeville Ksp Post 9, KY, is heaviest from January through February, about 1 inches a month. 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 134 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Pikeville
74% 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 Williamson, WV.
Living with Pikeville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
206 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 8 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 2.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 4.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Pikeville from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (92%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Pikeville and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Pikeville yet.
Climates most like Pikeville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pikeville, KY | 27° | 88° | 47" | 1.4" |
| Oxford, NC | 28° | 89° | 46" | 1.6" |
| Clarksville, IN | 25° | 88° | 49" | 4.3" |
| Emporia, VA | 29° | 90° | 48" | 1.4" |
| Sikeston, MO | 28° | 90° | 49" | 3.1" |
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 Pikeville averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.4°).
A smaller shift than in 96% 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 Pikeville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Pikeville’s place among Kentucky’s.
Pikeville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Pikeville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Pikeville Ksp Post 9, KY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 27° | 3.4" | 0.5" | 13 | 0 | 28° – 44° |
| February | 51° | 29° | 3.7" | 0.5" | 12 | 0 | 29° – 48° |
| March | 60° | 35° | 4.4" | 0.2" | 13 | 0 | 41° – 58° |
| April | 71° | 43° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 51° – 62° |
| May | 79° | 53° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 59° – 72° |
| June | 85° | 61° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 70° – 77° |
| July | 88° | 66° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 72° – 80° |
| August | 87° | 65° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 73° – 80° |
| September | 81° | 57° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| October | 71° | 46° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 63° |
| November | 59° | 35° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 41° – 53° |
| December | 49° | 30° | 4.1" | 0.2" | 11 | 0 | 29° – 51° |
| Year | 69° | 45° | 47.1" | 1.4" | 134 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 29° to 51°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Pikeville’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 Pikeville’s center.
- Snow: Pikeville Ksp Post 9, KY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Williamson, WV, 19 miles from the town’s center, 280 ft lower; 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 Pikeville’s climate
What is the weather like in Pikeville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 67% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 67% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Pikeville in winter?
January nights average 27°. About 95 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 28°.
How much snow does Pikeville get?
About 1.4 inches in a normal winter at Pikeville Ksp Post 9, KY, heaviest from January through February, about 1 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Pikeville?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 66°. About 44 days a year reach 90° (Williamson, WV).
When is the first and last frost in Pikeville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 8 and the first fall frost by November 2, about 206 frost-free days, at Williamson, WV.
What growing zone is Pikeville in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Pikeville?
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 Pikeville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 96% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Pikeville.
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.