Photo: Nyttend · Public domainBartow has some of the coolest summers among U.S. towns
January nights here settle around 18°. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 59°. Precipitation is plentiful here, more than falls on 85% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs October to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Bartow at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bartow’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bartow’s place in West Virginia beside it.
What a year in Bartow feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 149 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 9 and the first by October 5. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Bartow 1s, WV, 1.1 miles from the town’s center, 190 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bartow’s center in zone 6a: 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°
About 67 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bartow 1s, WV, is heaviest from January through February, about 17 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 50 inches a year; May is the wettest month and November the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 163 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bartow
96% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. 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 Bartow 1s, WV.
Living with Bartow’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
149 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 9 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 5.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 0.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bartow from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (81%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 12%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bartow and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Bartow yet.
Climates most like Bartow’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bartow, WV | 18° | 78° | 50" | 67" |
| Cape Elizabeth, ME | 16° | 79° | 49" | 69" |
| Liberty, NY | 14° | 78° | 53" | 70" |
| Rockport, MA | 20° | 79° | 48" | 51" |
| Hampton, NH | 17° | 80° | 48" | 63" |
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 Bartow averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 62% 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 Bartow compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bartow’s place among West Virginia’s.
Bartow weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bartow’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bartow 1s, WV. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 18° | 4.0" | 16.0" | 17 | 18 | 19° – 34° |
| February | 40° | 21° | 3.5" | 17.2" | 14 | 17 | 18° – 38° |
| March | 48° | 27° | 4.4" | 13.9" | 15 | 12 | 30° – 47° |
| April | 60° | 35° | 4.4" | 2.5" | 15 | 2 | 41° – 53° |
| May | 68° | 44° | 5.2" | 0.1" | 16 | 0 | 50° – 63° |
| June | 75° | 52° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 59° – 67° |
| July | 78° | 56° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| August | 77° | 55° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 63° – 70° |
| September | 71° | 49° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 56° – 66° |
| October | 61° | 37° | 3.4" | 0.6" | 10 | 0 | 46° – 54° |
| November | 49° | 28° | 3.3" | 4.3" | 11 | 4 | 32° – 44° |
| December | 40° | 23° | 4.1" | 12.8" | 15 | 13 | 20° – 43° |
| Year | 58° | 37° | 50.2" | 67.4" | 163 | 65 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 43°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Bartow’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 Bartow’s center.
- Snow: Bartow 1s, WV (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Bartow 1s, WV, 1.1 miles from the town’s center, 190 ft higher; 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 Bartow’s climate
What is the weather like in Bartow?
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 67 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 68% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bartow in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 153 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Bartow get?
About 67 inches in a normal winter at Bartow 1s, WV, heaviest from January through February, about 17 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 65 days a year.
How hot does it get in Bartow?
July, with a typical high of 78°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Bartow 1s, WV.
When is the first and last frost in Bartow?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 9 and the first fall frost by October 5, about 149 frost-free days, at Bartow 1s, WV.
What growing zone is Bartow in?
Zone 6a 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 Bartow?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Bartow getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 62% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bartow.
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.