Photo: Coastermom · CC BY 3.0Kettering’s winters are colder but less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Kettering at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Kettering’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Kettering’s place in Ohio beside it.
What a year in Kettering feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 189 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 18 and the first by October 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Dayton Mcd, OH, 5 miles from the city’s center point, 220 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Kettering’s center in zone 6b: 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 12 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Dayton Mcd, OH, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 43 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February 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 Kettering
82% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Dayton Mcd, OH.
Living with Kettering’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
189 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 18 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, June, August, September and October. 22 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Kettering from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (58%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 18%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Kettering and its neighbors
Moraine the hottest July afternoons (86°, 1° warmer). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Kettering’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kettering, OH | 22° | 85° | 43" | 12" |
| Wheeling, WV | 22° | 84° | 42" | 15" |
| Mattoon, IL | 20° | 86° | 41" | 15" |
| Pulaski, VA | 24° | 84° | 41" | 16" |
| New Brighton, PA | 21° | 84° | 41" | 20" |
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 Kettering averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.6°).
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 Kettering compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Kettering’s place among Ohio’s.
Kettering weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Kettering’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Dayton Mcd, OH. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 22° | 3.1" | 6.9" | 12 | 9 | 21° – 40° |
| February | 41° | 24° | 2.4" | 1.5" | 10 | 5 | 20° – 42° |
| March | 51° | 32° | 3.5" | 1.7" | 11 | 2 | 35° – 54° |
| April | 64° | 42° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| May | 73° | 52° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 56° – 71° |
| June | 82° | 61° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| July | 85° | 64° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| August | 84° | 63° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 55° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| October | 65° | 44° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| November | 52° | 34° | 3.1" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 37° – 49° |
| December | 41° | 27° | 3.2" | 2.1" | 11 | 5 | 21° – 44° |
| Year | 63° | 43° | 42.5" | 12.3" | 128 | 22 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 21° to 44°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Kettering’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 Kettering’s center.
- Snow: Dayton Mcd, OH.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Dayton Mcd, OH, 5 miles from the city’s center point, 220 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 Kettering’s climate
What is the weather like in Kettering?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 52% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 54% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Kettering in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 107 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does Kettering get?
About 12 inches in a normal winter at Dayton Mcd, OH, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 22 days a year.
How hot does it get in Kettering?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 64°. About 39 days a year reach 90° (Dayton Mcd, OH).
When is the first and last frost in Kettering?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 18 and the first fall frost by October 25, about 189 frost-free days, at Dayton Mcd, OH.
What growing zone is Kettering in?
Zone 6b 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 Kettering?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Kettering 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 Kettering.
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.