Hillsboro Covered Bridge · Photo: Photo by Greg Hume (Greg5030) · CC BY-SA 3.0Salt Lick gets more rain and snow than 81% of U.S. towns: 49 inches of precipitation a year
Nights in January average 25°. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 63% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 0.8° more than in 1901–2000, led by December. If you like long walks, April, May, September and October offer highs of 69–81°.
A year in Salt Lick at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Salt Lick’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Salt Lick’s place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in Salt Lick feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 189 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 17 and the first by October 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cave Run Lake, KY, 5 miles from the town’s center, 170 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Salt Lick’s center in zone 6b: 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 12 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cave Run Lake, KY, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 49 inches a year; July is the wettest month and November the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 161 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Salt Lick
82% 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 Cave Run Lake, KY.
Living with Salt Lick’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
189 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 17 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 25.
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 Salt Lick from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (71%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Salt Lick and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Salt Lick yet.
Climates most like Salt Lick’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lick, KY | 25° | 87° | 49" | 12" |
| Tell City, IN | 26° | 87° | 50" | 11" |
| Carterville, IL | 25° | 88° | 48" | 11" |
| Claymont, DE | 25° | 87° | 47" | 12" |
| Forest, VA | 26° | 87° | 47" | 12" |
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 Salt Lick averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.0°).
A smaller shift than in 89% 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 Salt Lick compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Salt Lick’s place among Kentucky’s.
Salt Lick weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Salt Lick’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cave Run Lake, KY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 25° | 3.5" | 4.3" | 17 | 5 | 26° – 44° |
| February | 48° | 27° | 3.5" | 3.4" | 15 | 3 | 25° – 45° |
| March | 57° | 34° | 4.6" | 2.0" | 15 | 2 | 39° – 58° |
| April | 69° | 43° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| May | 77° | 52° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 58° – 70° |
| June | 84° | 60° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| July | 87° | 65° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| August | 86° | 63° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 70° – 80° |
| September | 81° | 56° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| October | 69° | 45° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 54° – 63° |
| November | 57° | 34° | 3.2" | 0.2" | 12 | 0 | 40° – 51° |
| December | 47° | 29° | 4.1" | 2.4" | 16 | 2 | 27° – 49° |
| Year | 67° | 44° | 49.2" | 12.3" | 161 | 12 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 27° to 49°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Salt Lick’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 Salt Lick’s center.
- Snow: Cave Run Lake, KY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cave Run Lake, KY, 5 miles from the town’s center, 170 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 Salt Lick’s climate
What is the weather like in Salt Lick?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 63% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 63% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Salt Lick in winter?
January nights average 25°. About 101 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 26°.
How much snow does Salt Lick get?
About 12 inches in a normal winter at Cave Run Lake, KY, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 12 days a year.
How hot does it get in Salt Lick?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 65°. About 31 days a year reach 90° (Cave Run Lake, KY).
When is the first and last frost in Salt Lick?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 17 and the first fall frost by October 25, about 189 frost-free days, at Cave Run Lake, KY.
What growing zone is Salt Lick in?
Zone 6b 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 Salt Lick?
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 Salt Lick getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 89% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Salt Lick.
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.