Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFor weather, Bethany is about as ordinary as U.S. towns get
Sunny July days climb to about 84°. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in 62% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 1.1°, most of all in December. Homes need heating from November to March, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Bethany at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bethany’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bethany’s place in West Virginia beside it.
What a year in Bethany 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 18 and the first by November 1. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Wheeling Ohio Co Airport, 5 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft higher; frost dates and degree days from Pike Island(lock & Dam), WV, 8 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bethany’s center in zone 6b: 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 15 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Pike Island(lock & Dam), WV, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 42 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 146 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bethany
86% 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 Pike Island(lock & Dam), WV.
Living with Bethany’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
196 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 Nov 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bethany from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (87%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bethany and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Bethany yet.
Climates most like Bethany’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethany, WV | 21° | 84° | 42" | 15" |
| Washington Court House, OH | 21° | 84° | 42" | 18" |
| Fishers, IN | 20° | 84° | 43" | 18" |
| Wytheville, VA | 24° | 83° | 42" | 18" |
| Paris, IL | 20° | 85° | 43" | 19" |
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 Bethany averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 67% 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 Bethany compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bethany’s place among West Virginia’s.
Bethany weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bethany’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Pike Island(lock & Dam), WV. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 21° | 3.2" | 5.3" | 15 | 7 | 21° – 39° |
| February | 41° | 23° | 2.6" | 4.4" | 13 | 5 | 19° – 41° |
| March | 50° | 30° | 3.4" | 2.6" | 13 | 1 | 34° – 51° |
| April | 64° | 39° | 3.6" | 0.1" | 14 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| May | 73° | 49° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 54° – 68° |
| June | 81° | 58° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 65° – 72° |
| July | 84° | 62° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| August | 83° | 61° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| September | 77° | 54° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| October | 65° | 43° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 50° – 60° |
| November | 52° | 33° | 2.9" | 0.2" | 11 | 0 | 36° – 48° |
| December | 42° | 27° | 3.1" | 2.6" | 14 | 4 | 23° – 45° |
| Year | 62° | 42° | 42.1" | 15.2" | 146 | 17 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 23° to 45°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Bethany’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 Bethany’s center.
- Snow: Pike Island(lock & Dam), WV.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Pike Island(lock & Dam), WV, 8 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Wheeling Ohio Co Airport, 5 miles from the town’s center, 120 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 Bethany’s climate
What is the weather like in Bethany?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 53% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 62% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bethany in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 108 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does Bethany get?
About 15 inches in a normal winter at Pike Island(lock & Dam), WV, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 17 days a year.
How hot does it get in Bethany?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 62°. About 8 days a year reach 90° (Pike Island(lock & Dam), WV).
When is the first and last frost in Bethany?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 18 and the first fall frost by November 1, about 196 frost-free days, at Pike Island(lock & Dam), WV.
What growing zone is Bethany in?
Zone 6b 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 Bethany?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Bethany getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 67% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bethany.
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.