Photo: Ichabod · CC BY-SA 3.0More precipitation falls on Tompkinsville than on 91% of U.S. towns: 53 inches a year
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 88°. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 69% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 0.7° above 1901–2000. If you like long walks, April, May, September and October offer highs of 70–82°.
A year in Tompkinsville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Tompkinsville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Tompkinsville’s place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in Tompkinsville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 174 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by October 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Summer Shade, KY, 13 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Tompkinsville’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 6 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Tompkinsville 9nw, KY, is heaviest from January through February, about 2 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 53 inches a year; March is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 124 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Tompkinsville
77% 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 Summer Shade, KY.
Living with Tompkinsville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
174 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 26 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 Tompkinsville from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (43%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Tompkinsville and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Tompkinsville yet.
Climates most like Tompkinsville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tompkinsville, KY | 26° | 88° | 53" | 5.7" |
| Union City, TN | 28° | 89° | 53" | 5.8" |
| Mount Airy, NC | 27° | 87° | 52" | 8.2" |
| Cherokee Village, AR | 26° | 90° | 50" | 6.7" |
| Metropolis, IL | 27° | 89° | 50" | 8.9" |
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 Tompkinsville averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.7°).
A smaller shift than in 93% 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 Tompkinsville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Tompkinsville’s place among Kentucky’s.
Tompkinsville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Tompkinsville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Tompkinsville 9nw, KY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 26° | 4.3" | 1.9" | 11 | 28° – 45° |
| February | 51° | 29° | 4.6" | 1.8" | 10 | 28° – 47° |
| March | 60° | 36° | 5.2" | 1.0" | 12 | 41° – 59° |
| April | 70° | 44° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 51° – 62° |
| May | 78° | 54° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 60° – 72° |
| June | 85° | 61° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 69° – 78° |
| July | 88° | 66° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 72° – 81° |
| August | 88° | 64° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 71° – 81° |
| September | 82° | 57° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 66° – 75° |
| October | 71° | 46° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 55° – 64° |
| November | 59° | 35° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 41° – 53° |
| December | 50° | 30° | 4.9" | 1.0" | 12 | 28° – 51° |
| Year | 69° | 46° | 53.2" | 5.7" | 124 |
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 51°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Tompkinsville’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 Tompkinsville’s center.
- Snow: Tompkinsville 9nw, KY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Summer Shade, KY, 13 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 Tompkinsville’s climate
What is the weather like in Tompkinsville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 6 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 66% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 69% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Tompkinsville in winter?
January nights average 26°. About 101 nights a year reach 32° or below and 1 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 28°.
How much snow does Tompkinsville get?
About 5.7 inches in a normal winter at Tompkinsville 9nw, KY, heaviest from January through February, about 2 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Tompkinsville?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 66°. About 34 days a year reach 90° (Summer Shade, KY).
When is the first and last frost in Tompkinsville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by October 18, about 174 frost-free days, at Summer Shade, KY.
What growing zone is Tompkinsville 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 Tompkinsville?
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 Tompkinsville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 93% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Tompkinsville.
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.