Photo: Nyttend · Public domainPippa Passes gets more rain and snow than 75% of U.S. towns: 48 inches of precipitation a year
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 26° on average. Its January nights stay gentler than in 65% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with December up the most. The outdoor season runs from April to June and September to October, with highs of 69–83°.
A year in Pippa Passes at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Pippa Passes’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Pippa Passes’ place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in Pippa Passes feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 183 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 21 and the first by October 22. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Whitesburg 2se, KY, 16 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Pippa Passes’ 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 17 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Skyline 1 Se, KY, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 48 inches a year; July is the wettest month and November the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 147 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Pippa Passes
87% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. 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 Whitesburg 2se, KY.
Living with Pippa Passes’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
183 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 21 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 22.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Pippa Passes from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (89%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Pippa Passes and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Pippa Passes yet.
Climates most like Pippa Passes’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pippa Passes, KY | 26° | 85° | 48" | 17" |
| Pomona, NJ | 25° | 86° | 47" | 17" |
| Manorhaven, NY | 26° | 85° | 47" | 19" |
| Cloverly, MD | 25° | 86° | 46" | 16" |
| North Vernon, IN | 23° | 86° | 48" | 17" |
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 Pippa Passes averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.5°).
A smaller shift than in 97% 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 Pippa Passes compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Pippa Passes’ place among Kentucky’s.
Pippa Passes weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Pippa Passes’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Skyline 1 Se, KY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 26° | 3.5" | 5.3" | 13 | 6 | 27° – 43° |
| February | 49° | 28° | 3.6" | 4.2" | 13 | 4 | 27° – 46° |
| March | 58° | 34° | 4.3" | 3.1" | 14 | 2 | 39° – 57° |
| April | 69° | 42° | 4.4" | 0.1" | 13 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| May | 77° | 51° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 57° – 70° |
| June | 83° | 60° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 68° – 75° |
| July | 85° | 64° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 70° – 77° |
| August | 85° | 63° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| September | 80° | 56° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| October | 69° | 44° | 3.0" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 53° – 62° |
| November | 58° | 34° | 3.0" | 0.3" | 11 | 0 | 40° – 51° |
| December | 48° | 29° | 4.2" | 3.6" | 13 | 4 | 28° – 49° |
| Year | 67° | 44° | 47.9" | 16.7" | 147 | 16 |
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 49°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Pippa Passes’ 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 Pippa Passes’ center.
- Snow: Skyline 1 Se, KY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Whitesburg 2se, KY, 16 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 Pippa Passes’ climate
What is the weather like in Pippa Passes?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 17 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 65% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 52% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Pippa Passes in winter?
January nights average 26°. About 113 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 27°.
How much snow does Pippa Passes get?
About 17 inches in a normal winter at Skyline 1 Se, KY, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 16 days a year.
How hot does it get in Pippa Passes?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 64°. About 2 days a year reach 90° (Whitesburg 2se, KY).
When is the first and last frost in Pippa Passes?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 21 and the first fall frost by October 22, about 183 frost-free days, at Whitesburg 2se, KY.
What growing zone is Pippa Passes 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 Pippa Passes?
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 Pippa Passes getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 97% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Pippa Passes.
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.