Henry Clay Furnace · Photo: Brian Masney · CC BY-SA 3.0Neither notably warm, cold, wet nor dry, Cheat Lake sits near the middle of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 22°. Its July afternoons stay fresher than in 70% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with December up the most. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from May to October, with highs of 65–83°.
A year in Cheat Lake at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cheat Lake’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cheat Lake’s place in West Virginia beside it.
What a year in Cheat Lake feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 182 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first by October 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Morgantown Hart Fld, WV, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cheat Lake’s center in zone 7a: 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 14 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lake Lynn, WV, is heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 145 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cheat Lake
84% 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 Morgantown Hart Fld, WV.
Living with Cheat Lake’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
182 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 23 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 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 6.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cheat Lake from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (86%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cheat Lake and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cheat Lake yet.
Climates most like Cheat Lake’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheat Lake, WV | 22° | 83° | 46" | 14" |
| Richlands, VA | 24° | 83° | 46" | 18" |
| Rushville, IN | 20° | 84° | 45" | 16" |
| Hillsboro, OH | 22° | 84° | 45" | 18" |
| Woodbury, NY | 24° | 84° | 45" | 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 Cheat Lake averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 79% 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 Cheat Lake compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cheat Lake’s place among West Virginia’s.
Cheat Lake weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cheat Lake’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lake Lynn, WV. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 22° | 3.6" | 5.2" | 14 | 22° – 40° |
| February | 42° | 24° | 3.0" | 5.6" | 12 | 20° – 41° |
| March | 51° | 30° | 3.9" | 1.7" | 12 | 34° – 52° |
| April | 64° | 39° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 46° – 57° |
| May | 73° | 49° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 14 | 54° – 67° |
| June | 80° | 57° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 64° – 71° |
| July | 83° | 62° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 68° – 76° |
| August | 82° | 60° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 67° – 75° |
| September | 76° | 53° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 62° – 70° |
| October | 65° | 42° | 3.3" | 0.2" | 10 | 49° – 60° |
| November | 53° | 33° | 3.1" | 0.1" | 12 | 37° – 48° |
| December | 43° | 27° | 3.6" | 1.6" | 13 | 25° – 46° |
| Year | 63° | 41° | 45.8" | 14.4" | 145 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 46°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Cheat Lake’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 Cheat Lake’s center.
- Snow: Lake Lynn, WV.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Morgantown Hart Fld, WV, 4 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 Cheat Lake’s climate
What is the weather like in Cheat Lake?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 14 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 50% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 70% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cheat Lake in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 102 nights a year reach 32° or below and 1 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 22°.
How much snow does Cheat Lake get?
About 14 inches in a normal winter at Lake Lynn, WV, heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Cheat Lake?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 62°. About 13 days a year reach 90° (Morgantown Hart Fld, WV).
When is the first and last frost in Cheat Lake?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 23 and the first fall frost by October 24, about 182 frost-free days, at Morgantown Hart Fld, WV.
What growing zone is Cheat Lake in?
Zone 7a 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 Cheat Lake?
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 Cheat Lake getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 79% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cheat Lake.
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.