Photo: Nyttend · Public domainThe climate in Keystone sits close to the middle of U.S. towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 83°. Its July afternoons stay fresher than in 70% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with December up the most. The outdoor season runs from May to October, with highs of 66–83°.
A year in Keystone at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Keystone’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Keystone’s place in West Virginia beside it.
What a year in Keystone feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 175 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 24 and the first by October 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Elkhorn, WV, 3.0 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Keystone’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 0°. 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 20 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Pineville, WV, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 47 inches a year; July is the wettest month and November 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 Keystone
89% 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 Elkhorn, WV.
Living with Keystone’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
175 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 24 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 17.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Keystone from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (70%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 24%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Keystone and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Keystone yet.
Climates most like Keystone’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keystone, WV | 24° | 83° | 47" | 20" |
| Westbrook, CT | 22° | 83° | 47" | 25" |
| Oyster Bay, NY | 25° | 84° | 46" | 19" |
| Hillsboro, OH | 22° | 84° | 45" | 18" |
| Connellsville, PA | 21° | 84° | 46" | 24" |
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 Keystone averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.8°).
A smaller shift than in 87% 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 Keystone compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Keystone’s place among West Virginia’s.
Keystone weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Keystone’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Pineville, WV. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 24° | 3.6" | 9.8" | 15 | 6 | 25° – 40° |
| February | 47° | 26° | 3.4" | 4.5" | 13 | 4 | 26° – 44° |
| March | 55° | 32° | 4.2" | 2.7" | 15 | 1 | 37° – 54° |
| April | 67° | 40° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 48° – 57° |
| May | 74° | 48° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| June | 80° | 57° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 65° – 72° |
| July | 83° | 61° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 68° – 75° |
| August | 82° | 60° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| September | 77° | 54° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 61° – 71° |
| October | 66° | 42° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 51° – 60° |
| November | 56° | 32° | 2.9" | 0.4" | 11 | 0 | 38° – 49° |
| December | 45° | 27° | 3.6" | 2.6" | 14 | 2 | 26° – 48° |
| Year | 65° | 42° | 46.9" | 20.0" | 151 | 14 |
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 48°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Keystone’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 Keystone’s center.
- Snow: Pineville, WV.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Elkhorn, WV, 3.0 miles from the town’s center, 160 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 Keystone’s climate
What is the weather like in Keystone?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 20 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 59% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 70% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Keystone in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 120 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 25°.
How much snow does Keystone get?
About 20 inches in a normal winter at Pineville, WV, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 14 days a year.
How hot does it get in Keystone?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 61°. About 5 days a year reach 90° (Elkhorn, WV).
When is the first and last frost in Keystone?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 24 and the first fall frost by October 17, about 175 frost-free days, at Elkhorn, WV.
What growing zone is Keystone in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 0°.
What is the best time of year to visit Keystone?
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 Keystone getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 87% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Keystone.
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.