Summers County Courthouse · Photo: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 3.0 usNeither notably warm, cold, wet nor dry, Hinton sits near the middle of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 24°. Its January nights stay gentler than in 61% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with December up the most. Radiators earn their keep from November to March, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Hinton at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hinton’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hinton’s place in West Virginia beside it.
What a year in Hinton feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 200 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 10 and the first by October 30. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Bluestone Lake, WV, 2.3 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hinton’s center in zone 7a: 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 19 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bluestone Lake, WV, is heaviest from January through February, about 6 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 40 inches a year; May is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 131 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Hinton
82% 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 Bluestone Lake, WV.
Living with Hinton’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
200 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 10 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 30.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, August, September and October. 0.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Hinton from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (79%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 17%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hinton and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Hinton yet.
Climates most like Hinton’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinton, WV | 24° | 85° | 40" | 19" |
| Winchester, VA | 23° | 86° | 41" | 23" |
| Circleville, OH | 22° | 85° | 41" | 15" |
| Clairton, PA | 22° | 84° | 41" | 21" |
| 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 Hinton averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.8°).
A smaller shift than in 86% 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 Hinton compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hinton’s place among West Virginia’s.
Hinton weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Hinton’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bluestone Lake, WV. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 24° | 3.0" | 6.0" | 12 | 6 | 26° – 41° |
| February | 48° | 27° | 2.9" | 5.5" | 11 | 6 | 25° – 45° |
| March | 56° | 33° | 3.7" | 2.9" | 12 | 2 | 37° – 54° |
| April | 68° | 41° | 3.5" | 0.2" | 12 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| May | 76° | 50° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| June | 82° | 58° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 66° – 73° |
| July | 85° | 62° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| August | 84° | 62° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 55° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| October | 68° | 44° | 2.5" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 53° – 61° |
| November | 57° | 33° | 2.5" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 39° – 50° |
| December | 46° | 27° | 3.2" | 4.0" | 11 | 4 | 25° – 49° |
| Year | 66° | 43° | 40.4" | 18.8" | 131 | 18 |
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 49°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Hinton’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 Hinton’s center.
- Snow: Bluestone Lake, WV.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Bluestone Lake, WV, 2.3 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft lower; 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 Hinton’s climate
What is the weather like in Hinton?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 19 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 61% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 52% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Hinton in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 104 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Hinton get?
About 19 inches in a normal winter at Bluestone Lake, WV, heaviest from January through February, about 6 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 18 days a year.
How hot does it get in Hinton?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 62°. About 14 days a year reach 90° (Bluestone Lake, WV).
When is the first and last frost in Hinton?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 10 and the first fall frost by October 30, about 200 frost-free days, at Bluestone Lake, WV.
What growing zone is Hinton in?
Zone 7a 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 Hinton?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Hinton getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 86% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Hinton.
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.