Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Beckley’s winters are milder but snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 56 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Beckley at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Beckley’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Beckley’s place in West Virginia beside it.
What a year in Beckley feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 156 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 6 and the first by October 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Beckley Va Hospital, WV, 1.9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Beckley’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −3°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 56 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Beckley Raleigh Co Airport, is heaviest from January through February, about 15 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 44 inches a year; July is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 161 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Beckley
94% 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 Beckley Va Hospital, WV.
Living with Beckley’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
156 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by May 6 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 10.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, July, August, September and October. 2.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Beckley from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (66%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Beckley and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Beckley in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Beckley’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beckley, WV | 23° | 81° | 44" | 56" |
| Euclid, OH | 23° | 81° | 40" | 64" |
| Hull, MA | 21° | 81° | 48" | 49" |
| Frostburg, MD | 20° | 82° | 44" | 72" |
| Meadville, PA | 18° | 81° | 45" | 64" |
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 Beckley averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.8°).
A smaller shift than in 89% 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 Beckley compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Beckley’s place among West Virginia’s.
Beckley weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Beckley’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Beckley Raleigh Co Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 23° | 3.3" | 15.5" | 15 | 11 | 23° – 39° |
| February | 44° | 25° | 3.2" | 15.2" | 14 | 8 | 22° – 43° |
| March | 53° | 32° | 4.1" | 8.9" | 16 | 5 | 35° – 53° |
| April | 65° | 40° | 3.8" | 1.5" | 14 | 1 | 47° – 58° |
| May | 72° | 48° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 54° – 67° |
| June | 78° | 56° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 64° – 70° |
| July | 81° | 61° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| August | 80° | 60° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| September | 75° | 53° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 60° – 70° |
| October | 65° | 42° | 2.7" | 1.4" | 11 | 0 | 50° – 59° |
| November | 53° | 32° | 2.8" | 2.3" | 12 | 2 | 37° – 48° |
| December | 44° | 27° | 3.5" | 11.1" | 15 | 7 | 24° – 47° |
| Year | 62° | 42° | 44.1" | 55.9" | 161 | 34 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 24° to 47°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Beckley’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 Beckley’s center.
- Snow: Beckley Raleigh Co Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Beckley Va Hospital, WV, 1.9 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 Beckley’s climate
What is the weather like in Beckley?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 56 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 56% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 88% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Beckley in winter?
January nights average 23°. About 140 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 23°.
How much snow does Beckley get?
About 56 inches in a normal winter at Beckley Raleigh Co Airport, heaviest from January through February, about 15 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 34 days a year.
How hot does it get in Beckley?
July, with a typical high of 81°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Beckley Va Hospital, WV.
When is the first and last frost in Beckley?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 6 and the first fall frost by October 10, about 156 frost-free days, at Beckley Va Hospital, WV.
What growing zone is Beckley in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Beckley?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Beckley getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 89% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Beckley.
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.