Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFairlea’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 18 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Fairlea at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fairlea’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fairlea’s place in West Virginia beside it.
What a year in Fairlea feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 158 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 3 and the first by October 9. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lewisburg 3 N, WV, 7 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fairlea’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −2°. 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 18 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at White Sulphur Springs, WV, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 42 inches a year; May is the wettest month and November the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 142 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fairlea
91% 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 Lewisburg 3 N, WV.
Living with Fairlea’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
158 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by May 3 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 9.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 0.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fairlea from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (70%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 21%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fairlea and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Fairlea yet.
Climates most like Fairlea’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairlea, WV | 23° | 83° | 42" | 18" |
| West Mifflin, PA | 22° | 84° | 42" | 21" |
| Steubenville, OH | 21° | 84° | 41" | 15" |
| Muncie, IN | 20° | 84° | 42" | 19" |
| South Farmingdale, NY | 24° | 85° | 44" | 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 Fairlea averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 68% 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 Fairlea compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fairlea’s place among West Virginia’s.
Fairlea weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fairlea’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from White Sulphur Springs, WV. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 23° | 3.1" | 5.6" | 13 | 8 | 24° – 39° |
| February | 45° | 25° | 2.8" | 6.3" | 11 | 7 | 24° – 43° |
| March | 54° | 31° | 3.8" | 3.4" | 12 | 3 | 36° – 53° |
| April | 66° | 39° | 3.8" | 0.3" | 12 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| May | 73° | 48° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 54° – 67° |
| June | 80° | 56° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 64° – 72° |
| July | 83° | 60° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| August | 82° | 59° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 68° – 75° |
| September | 76° | 53° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 61° – 70° |
| October | 66° | 41° | 2.7" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 50° – 59° |
| November | 55° | 31° | 2.7" | 0.4" | 10 | 0 | 37° – 49° |
| December | 45° | 26° | 3.3" | 2.0" | 12 | 4 | 25° – 46° |
| Year | 64° | 41° | 41.9" | 18.1" | 142 | 24 |
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 8°.
Where Fairlea’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 Fairlea’s center.
- Snow: White Sulphur Springs, WV.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lewisburg 3 N, WV, 7 miles from the town’s center, 150 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 Fairlea’s climate
What is the weather like in Fairlea?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 18 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 54% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 69% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fairlea in winter?
January nights average 23°. About 139 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 24°.
How much snow does Fairlea get?
About 18 inches in a normal winter at White Sulphur Springs, WV, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 24 days a year.
How hot does it get in Fairlea?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 60°. About 4 days a year reach 90° (Lewisburg 3 N, WV).
When is the first and last frost in Fairlea?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 3 and the first fall frost by October 9, about 158 frost-free days, at Lewisburg 3 N, WV.
What growing zone is Fairlea in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −2°.
What is the best time of year to visit Fairlea?
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 Fairlea getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 68% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fairlea.
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.