Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0No extremes in Great Cacapon: its weather tracks the middle of U.S. towns
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 23°. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in May and the lightest in February. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 62% of U.S. towns. The outdoor season, with highs of 67–83°, runs through May, June, September and October.
A year in Great Cacapon at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Great Cacapon’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Great Cacapon’s place in West Virginia beside it.
What a year in Great Cacapon 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 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cacapon St Park #2, WV, 7 miles from the town’s center, 440 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Great Cacapon’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 40 inches of rain a year
May is the wettest month and February the driest.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Great Cacapon
87% 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 Cacapon St Park #2, WV.
Living with Great Cacapon’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 21.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Great Cacapon 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 →Great Cacapon and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Great Cacapon yet.
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 Great Cacapon averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.7°).
A bigger shift than in 53% 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 Great Cacapon compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Great Cacapon’s place among West Virginia’s.
Great Cacapon weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Great Cacapon’s center. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 23° | 2.7" | 23° – 40° |
| February | 44° | 24° | 2.1" | 25° – 43° |
| March | 53° | 30° | 3.2" | 35° – 52° |
| April | 66° | 40° | 3.6" | 49° – 59° |
| May | 75° | 49° | 4.3" | 56° – 69° |
| June | 83° | 58° | 4.0" | 66° – 73° |
| July | 87° | 62° | 4.0" | 70° – 78° |
| August | 85° | 60° | 3.2" | 68° – 76° |
| September | 78° | 53° | 3.8" | 63° – 70° |
| October | 67° | 42° | 3.0" | 51° – 60° |
| November | 55° | 33° | 2.8" | 38° – 50° |
| December | 44° | 27° | 3.0" | 26° – 46° |
| Year | 65° | 42° | 39.6" |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 26° to 46°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Great Cacapon’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 Great Cacapon’s center.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cacapon St Park #2, WV, 7 miles from the town’s center, 440 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 Great Cacapon’s climate
What is the weather like in Great Cacapon?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 23°. Milder January nights than 55% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 61% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Great Cacapon in winter?
January nights average 23°. About 122 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 23°.
How hot does it get in Great Cacapon?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 62°. About 19 days a year reach 90° (Cacapon St Park #2, WV).
When is the first and last frost in Great Cacapon?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 23 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 180 frost-free days, at Cacapon St Park #2, WV.
What growing zone is Great Cacapon 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 Great Cacapon?
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 Great Cacapon getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 53% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Great Cacapon.
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.