Dutch Hollow Wine Cellars · Photo: ForestWander · CC BY-SA 3.0 usDunbar’s winters are milder but snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 32 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Dunbar at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Dunbar’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Dunbar’s place in West Virginia beside it.
What a year in Dunbar feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 180 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first by October 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Charleston Wfo, WV, 4 miles from the town’s center, 240 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Dunbar’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 32 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Charleston Yeager Airport, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; July is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 151 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Dunbar
83% 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 Charleston Wfo, WV.
Living with Dunbar’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
180 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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 0.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Dunbar from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (94%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Dunbar and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Dunbar in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Dunbar’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunbar, WV | 25° | 87° | 46" | 32" |
| Spring Ridge, MD | 24° | 87° | 45" | 33" |
| Rahway, NJ | 24° | 87° | 47" | 32" |
| Levittown, PA | 24° | 87° | 47" | 27" |
| Fort Thomas, KY | 24° | 87° | 45" | 23" |
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 Dunbar averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in April (+1.9°).
A smaller shift than in 77% 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 Dunbar compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Dunbar’s place among West Virginia’s.
Dunbar weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Dunbar’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Charleston Yeager Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 25° | 3.2" | 10.3" | 15 | 7 | 27° – 43° |
| February | 48° | 28° | 3.2" | 7.7" | 14 | 5 | 26° – 46° |
| March | 57° | 34° | 4.1" | 5.9" | 15 | 3 | 40° – 57° |
| April | 70° | 43° | 3.7" | 0.5" | 13 | 0 | 50° – 62° |
| May | 77° | 53° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 59° – 72° |
| June | 84° | 61° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| July | 87° | 65° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 72° – 80° |
| August | 86° | 64° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| September | 81° | 57° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| October | 70° | 45° | 3.0" | 0.6" | 10 | 0 | 54° – 63° |
| November | 58° | 35° | 3.0" | 1.5" | 11 | 1 | 40° – 51° |
| December | 48° | 29° | 3.7" | 5.0" | 14 | 3 | 28° – 49° |
| Year | 67° | 45° | 45.6" | 31.5" | 151 | 19 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 28° to 49°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Dunbar’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 Dunbar’s center.
- Snow: Charleston Yeager Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Charleston Wfo, WV, 4 miles from the town’s center, 240 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 Dunbar’s climate
What is the weather like in Dunbar?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 32 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 64% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 64% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Dunbar in winter?
January nights average 25°. About 116 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 27°.
How much snow does Dunbar get?
About 32 inches in a normal winter at Charleston Yeager Airport, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 19 days a year.
How hot does it get in Dunbar?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 65°. About 23 days a year reach 90° (Charleston Wfo, WV).
When is the first and last frost in Dunbar?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 23 and the first fall frost by October 20, about 180 frost-free days, at Charleston Wfo, WV.
What growing zone is Dunbar 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 Dunbar?
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 Dunbar getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 77% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Dunbar.
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.