Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Sonora gets more rain and snow than 91% of U.S. towns: 53 inches of precipitation a year
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 87°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 62° apart. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 63% of U.S. towns. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly April 21 to October 18.
A year in Sonora at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sonora’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sonora’s place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in Sonora feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 178 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 21 and the first by October 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Millerstown 4e, KY, 9 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sonora’s 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 53 inches of rain a year
May is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain falls on about 96 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.1" in a normal year at Glendale, KY, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Sonora
81% 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 Millerstown 4e, KY.
Living with Sonora’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
178 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 18.
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 Sonora from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (51%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sonora and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sonora yet.
Climates most like Sonora’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonora, KY | 25° | 87° | 53" | 0.1" |
| Sawmills, NC | 29° | 88° | 48" | 0.3" |
| Cleveland, TN | 30° | 89° | 56" | 1.1" |
| Bremen, GA | 31° | 88° | 55" | 0.6" |
| Walnut Ridge, AR | 28° | 90° | 49" | 0.9" |
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 Sonora averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.9°).
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 Sonora compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sonora’s place among Kentucky’s.
Sonora weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sonora’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Glendale, KY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 25° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 26° – 43° |
| February | 48° | 28° | 4.1" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 27° – 45° |
| March | 58° | 35° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 39° – 59° |
| April | 69° | 44° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| May | 77° | 54° | 5.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 59° – 71° |
| June | 84° | 62° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| July | 87° | 66° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 72° – 81° |
| August | 87° | 64° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 71° – 81° |
| September | 81° | 57° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 64° – 75° |
| October | 70° | 45° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 54° – 63° |
| November | 58° | 35° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 39° – 52° |
| December | 47° | 29° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 26° – 49° |
| Year | 67° | 45° | 52.9" | 0.1" | 96 | 0 |
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 49°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Sonora’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 Sonora’s center.
- Snow: Glendale, KY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Millerstown 4e, KY, 9 miles from the town’s center, 120 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 Sonora’s climate
What is the weather like in Sonora?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 25°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 63% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 63% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sonora in winter?
January nights average 25°. 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 26°.
How much snow does Sonora get?
About 0.1 inches in a normal winter at Glendale, KY, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Sonora?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 66°. About 26 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Millerstown 4e, KY).
When is the first and last frost in Sonora?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 21 and the first fall frost by October 18, about 178 frost-free days, at Millerstown 4e, KY.
What growing zone is Sonora 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 Sonora?
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 Sonora 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 Sonora.
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.