Photo: Don O'Brien from Piketon, Ohio, United States · CC BY 2.0Weather without surprises: Hanging Rock keeps close to the norm for U.S. towns
July afternoons average 87°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 63° apart. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 62% of U.S. towns. The outdoor season, with highs of 68–80°, runs through April, May, September and October.
A year in Hanging Rock at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hanging Rock’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hanging Rock’s place in Ohio beside it.
What a year in Hanging Rock feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 196 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 16 and the first by October 30. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at S Pt, OH, 12 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hanging Rock’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 7 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Greenup Locks & Dam, KY, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 43 inches a year; July is the wettest month and November 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 Hanging Rock
79% 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 S Pt, OH.
Living with Hanging Rock’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
196 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 16 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 30.
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 Hanging Rock from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (75%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 14%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hanging Rock and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Hanging Rock in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Hanging Rock’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanging Rock, OH | 24° | 87° | 43" | 6.6" |
| Travilah, MD | 26° | 87° | 44" | 5.8" |
| Centralia, IL | 23° | 87° | 45" | 6.5" |
| Vienna, VA | 26° | 87° | 44" | 5.8" |
| Lebanon, MO | 23° | 88° | 45" | 8.3" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Hanging Rock averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.4°).
A bigger shift than in 50% 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 Hanging Rock compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hanging Rock’s place among Ohio’s.
Hanging Rock weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Hanging Rock’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Greenup Locks & Dam, KY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 24° | 3.1" | 3.7" | 12 | 3 | 25° – 42° |
| February | 47° | 26° | 3.1" | 1.4" | 11 | 1 | 24° – 43° |
| March | 56° | 33° | 4.2" | 1.2" | 12 | 0 | 38° – 56° |
| April | 68° | 42° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 50° – 60° |
| May | 77° | 51° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 57° – 72° |
| June | 84° | 60° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| July | 87° | 65° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| August | 86° | 63° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| September | 80° | 56° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| October | 69° | 44° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 53° – 62° |
| November | 57° | 34° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 38° – 50° |
| December | 46° | 28° | 3.6" | 0.3" | 12 | 0 | 27° – 47° |
| Year | 67° | 44° | 43.3" | 6.6" | 124 | 5 |
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 47°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Hanging Rock’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 Hanging Rock’s center.
- Snow: Greenup Locks & Dam, KY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: S Pt, OH, 12 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 Hanging Rock’s climate
What is the weather like in Hanging Rock?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 60% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 62% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Hanging Rock in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 109 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 25°.
How much snow does Hanging Rock get?
About 6.6 inches in a normal winter at Greenup Locks & Dam, KY, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 5 days a year.
How hot does it get in Hanging Rock?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 65°. About 27 days a year reach 90° (S Pt, OH).
When is the first and last frost in Hanging Rock?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 16 and the first fall frost by October 30, about 196 frost-free days, at S Pt, OH.
What growing zone is Hanging Rock 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 Hanging Rock?
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 Hanging Rock getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 50% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Hanging Rock.
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.