Emmanuel Church at Brook Hill · Photo: Crazyale · CC BY-SA 3.0Lakeside’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Lakeside at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lakeside’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lakeside’s place in Virginia beside it.
What a year in Lakeside feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 201 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 10 and the first by October 29. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ashland, VA, 10 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lakeside’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 7°. 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 15 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ashland, VA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 106 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Lakeside
75% 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 Ashland, VA.
Living with Lakeside’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
201 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 10 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 29.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 11 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Lakeside from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (53%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lakeside and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Lakeside in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Lakeside’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeside, VA | 27° | 89° | 46" | 15" |
| Henderson, KY | 25° | 88° | 48" | 12" |
| Harrison, AR | 26° | 89° | 47" | 9.5" |
| Evansville, IN | 25° | 88° | 48" | 11" |
| Aurora, MO | 24° | 89° | 47" | 12" |
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 Lakeside averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 74% 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 Lakeside compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lakeside’s place among Virginia’s.
Lakeside weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Lakeside’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ashland, VA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 27° | 3.4" | 5.9" | 10 | 3 | 32° – 44° |
| February | 52° | 29° | 2.8" | 4.0" | 9 | 4 | 30° – 48° |
| March | 60° | 36° | 4.0" | 1.8" | 10 | 1 | 42° – 57° |
| April | 70° | 45° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 53° – 63° |
| May | 78° | 54° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 61° – 72° |
| June | 85° | 63° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| July | 89° | 68° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 74° – 82° |
| August | 87° | 66° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 73° – 80° |
| September | 81° | 60° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| October | 71° | 47° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 55° – 65° |
| November | 60° | 37° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 43° – 54° |
| December | 51° | 31° | 3.7" | 3.0" | 9 | 2 | 32° – 51° |
| Year | 69° | 47° | 46.3" | 14.7" | 106 | 10 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 32° to 51°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Lakeside’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 Lakeside’s center.
- Snow: Ashland, VA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ashland, VA, 10 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 Lakeside’s climate
What is the weather like in Lakeside?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 72% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lakeside in winter?
January nights average 27°. About 89 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 32°.
How much snow does Lakeside get?
About 15 inches in a normal winter at Ashland, VA, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 10 days a year.
How hot does it get in Lakeside?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 68°. About 25 days a year reach 90° (Ashland, VA).
When is the first and last frost in Lakeside?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 10 and the first fall frost by October 29, about 201 frost-free days, at Ashland, VA.
What growing zone is Lakeside in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Lakeside?
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 Lakeside getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 74% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Lakeside.
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.