Stewart's Tavern · Photo: Generic1139 · CC BY-SA 3.0For weather, Fort Ashby is about as ordinary as U.S. towns get
Midwinter brings lows of about 23°. The seasons are far apart: from a winter night to a summer afternoon the average spans 65°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 71% of U.S. towns. For walks and days out, May, June, September and October bring highs of 68–84°.
A year in Fort Ashby at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fort Ashby’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fort Ashby’s place in West Virginia beside it.
What a year in Fort Ashby feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 190 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 15 and the first by October 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cumberland 2, MD, 10 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fort Ashby’s center in zone 7a: 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°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 31 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cresaptown-bel Air 0.9 Sse, MD, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 37 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 153 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fort Ashby
83% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November 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 Cumberland 2, MD.
Living with Fort Ashby’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
190 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 15 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, September and October. 0.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fort Ashby from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (88%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fort Ashby and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Fort Ashby yet.
Climates most like Fort Ashby’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Ashby, WV | 23° | 88° | 37" | 31" |
| Leavenworth, KS | 20° | 89° | 38" | 19" |
| Parkville, MO | 20° | 88° | 39" | 18" |
| Chatham, IL | 20° | 86° | 39" | 22" |
| Obetz, OH | 22° | 86° | 41" | 28" |
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 Fort Ashby averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 74% 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 Fort Ashby compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fort Ashby’s place among West Virginia’s.
Fort Ashby weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fort Ashby’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cresaptown-bel Air 0.9 Sse, MD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 23° | 2.4" | 7.6" | 13 | 24° – 40° |
| February | 45° | 25° | 2.2" | 10.6" | 12 | 24° – 44° |
| March | 54° | 31° | 3.2" | 6.6" | 13 | 36° – 53° |
| April | 67° | 40° | 3.3" | 0.3" | 15 | 49° – 58° |
| May | 76° | 49° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 16 | 58° – 69° |
| June | 84° | 58° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 14 | 67° – 74° |
| July | 88° | 62° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 71° – 79° |
| August | 87° | 61° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 70° – 77° |
| September | 80° | 54° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 64° – 71° |
| October | 68° | 42° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 52° – 61° |
| November | 56° | 33° | 2.4" | 1.4" | 10 | 38° – 50° |
| December | 45° | 27° | 2.7" | 4.3" | 13 | 26° – 45° |
| Year | 66° | 42° | 37.1" | 30.8" | 153 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 24° to 44°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Fort Ashby’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 Fort Ashby’s center.
- Snow: Cresaptown-bel Air 0.9 Sse, MD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cumberland 2, MD, 10 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 Fort Ashby’s climate
What is the weather like in Fort Ashby?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 56% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 68% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fort Ashby in winter?
January nights average 23°. About 111 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 24°.
How much snow does Fort Ashby get?
About 31 inches in a normal winter at Cresaptown-bel Air 0.9 Sse, MD, most of it in February.
How hot does it get in Fort Ashby?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 62°. About 37 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Cumberland 2, MD).
When is the first and last frost in Fort Ashby?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 15 and the first fall frost by October 24, about 190 frost-free days, at Cumberland 2, MD.
What growing zone is Fort Ashby in?
Zone 7a 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 Fort Ashby?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Fort Ashby getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 74% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fort Ashby.
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.