Shively’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 13 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Shively at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Shively’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Shively’s place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in Shively feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 222 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 31 and the first by November 7. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Louisville International Airport, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Shively’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 13 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Louisville International Airport, is heaviest from January through February, about 4 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 49 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 125 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Shively
69% 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 Louisville International Airport.
Living with Shively’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
222 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Mar 31 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 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 0.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Shively from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (70%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Shively and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Shively yet.
Climates most like Shively’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shively, KY | 25° | 88° | 49" | 13" |
| Carterville, IL | 25° | 88° | 48" | 11" |
| Aurora, MO | 24° | 89° | 47" | 12" |
| Georgetown, DE | 27° | 88° | 46" | 13" |
| Parkville, MD | 24° | 88° | 48" | 19" |
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 Shively averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 53% 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 Shively compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Shively’s place among Kentucky’s.
Shively weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Shively’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Louisville International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 25° | 3.4" | 4.5" | 11 | 5 | 26° – 43° |
| February | 48° | 28° | 3.5" | 4.1" | 10 | 3 | 27° – 48° |
| March | 57° | 36° | 4.6" | 2.1" | 12 | 1 | 40° – 58° |
| April | 69° | 45° | 5.0" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| May | 77° | 56° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 60° – 74° |
| June | 85° | 64° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| July | 88° | 68° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 72° – 83° |
| August | 88° | 66° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 72° – 83° |
| September | 82° | 58° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 65° – 77° |
| October | 70° | 46° | 3.8" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| November | 57° | 36° | 3.6" | 0.3" | 10 | 0 | 40° – 52° |
| December | 47° | 30° | 4.2" | 2.2" | 12 | 2 | 25° – 49° |
| Year | 67° | 46° | 49.0" | 13.4" | 125 | 11 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 49°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Shively’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 Shively’s center.
- Snow: Louisville International Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Louisville International Airport, 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 Shively’s climate
What is the weather like in Shively?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 13 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 64% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 67% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Shively in winter?
January nights average 25°. About 74 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Shively get?
About 13 inches in a normal winter at Louisville International Airport, heaviest from January through February, about 4 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 11 days a year.
How hot does it get in Shively?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 68°. About 43 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Louisville International Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Shively?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 31 and the first fall frost by November 7, about 222 frost-free days, at Louisville International Airport.
What growing zone is Shively 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 Shively?
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 Shively getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 53% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Shively.
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.