For weather, West Van Lear is about as ordinary as U.S. towns get
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 87°. The wettest month is July; the driest is November. Precipitation is plentiful here, more than falls on 69% of U.S. towns. If you like long walks, April, May, September and October offer highs of 70–81°.
A year in West Van Lear at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about West Van Lear’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with West Van Lear’s place in Kentucky beside it.
What a year in West Van Lear feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 188 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 19 and the first by October 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Paintsville 1e, KY, 2.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts West Van Lear’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 17 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Dunlow 1 Sw, WV, is heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 47 inches a year; July is the wettest month and November the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 128 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in West Van Lear
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 Paintsville 1e, KY.
Living with West Van Lear’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
188 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 19 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 West Van Lear from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (92%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →West Van Lear and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around West Van Lear yet.
Climates most like West Van Lear’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Van Lear, KY | 25° | 87° | 47" | 17" |
| Bel Air South, MD | 24° | 88° | 47" | 18" |
| Croydon, PA | 25° | 87° | 47" | 20" |
| Elsmere, DE | 25° | 87° | 47" | 20" |
| Hammonton, NJ | 25° | 87° | 47" | 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 West Van Lear averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.8°).
A smaller shift than in 92% 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 West Van Lear compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with West Van Lear’s place among Kentucky’s.
West Van Lear weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at West Van Lear’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Dunlow 1 Sw, WV. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 25° | 3.4" | 4.8" | 12 | 7 | 27° – 43° |
| February | 50° | 28° | 3.4" | 4.4" | 12 | 4 | 28° – 46° |
| March | 59° | 34° | 4.2" | 3.8" | 13 | 2 | 40° – 58° |
| April | 70° | 42° | 4.0" | 0.2" | 11 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| May | 78° | 51° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 58° – 71° |
| June | 85° | 60° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| July | 87° | 65° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| August | 87° | 64° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 72° – 80° |
| September | 81° | 56° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| October | 71° | 45° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 53° – 62° |
| November | 59° | 34° | 2.9" | 0.8" | 9 | 1 | 40° – 52° |
| December | 49° | 28° | 4.1" | 3.4" | 12 | 4 | 27° – 49° |
| Year | 68° | 44° | 46.8" | 17.4" | 128 | 18 |
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 West Van Lear’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 West Van Lear’s center.
- Snow: Dunlow 1 Sw, WV.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Paintsville 1e, KY, 2.4 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 West Van Lear’s climate
What is the weather like in West Van Lear?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 17 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 62% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 64% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in West Van Lear in winter?
January nights average 25°. About 110 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 27°.
How much snow does West Van Lear get?
About 17 inches in a normal winter at Dunlow 1 Sw, WV, heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 18 days a year.
How hot does it get in West Van Lear?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 65°. About 25 days a year reach 90° (Paintsville 1e, KY).
When is the first and last frost in West Van Lear?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 19 and the first fall frost by October 25, about 188 frost-free days, at Paintsville 1e, KY.
What growing zone is West Van Lear 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 West Van Lear?
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 West Van Lear getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 92% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in West Van Lear.
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.