Photo: FatCat96 · CC BY-SA 4.0Red Jacket’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 13 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Red Jacket at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Red Jacket’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Red Jacket’s place in West Virginia beside it.
What a year in Red Jacket feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 206 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 8 and the first by November 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Williamson, WV, 8 miles from the town’s center, 440 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Red Jacket’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 4°. 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 13 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Williamson, WV, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 48 inches a year; July is the wettest month and November the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 138 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Red Jacket
74% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Williamson, WV.
Living with Red Jacket’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
206 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 8 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 2.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 25 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Red Jacket from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (86%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Red Jacket and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Red Jacket yet.
Climates most like Red Jacket’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Jacket, WV | 26° | 87° | 48" | 13" |
| Forest, VA | 26° | 87° | 47" | 12" |
| Claymont, DE | 25° | 87° | 47" | 12" |
| Frankfort, KY | 25° | 87° | 49" | 15" |
| Tell City, IN | 26° | 87° | 50" | 11" |
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 Red Jacket averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.5°).
A smaller shift than in 95% 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 Red Jacket compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Red Jacket’s place among West Virginia’s.
Red Jacket weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Red Jacket’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Williamson, WV. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 26° | 3.6" | 4.4" | 13 | 27° – 43° |
| February | 49° | 29° | 3.7" | 3.0" | 11 | 28° – 47° |
| March | 58° | 34° | 4.4" | 3.1" | 13 | 40° – 57° |
| April | 70° | 43° | 4.2" | 0.1" | 12 | 50° – 62° |
| May | 78° | 52° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 58° – 71° |
| June | 84° | 60° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 68° – 75° |
| July | 87° | 65° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 71° – 79° |
| August | 86° | 64° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 71° – 79° |
| September | 81° | 57° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 65° – 74° |
| October | 70° | 45° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 54° – 63° |
| November | 58° | 35° | 2.9" | 0.1" | 11 | 40° – 52° |
| December | 48° | 30° | 4.2" | 2.4" | 12 | 29° – 50° |
| Year | 68° | 45° | 48.1" | 13.1" | 138 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 29° to 50°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Red Jacket’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 Red Jacket’s center.
- Snow: Williamson, WV.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Williamson, WV, 8 miles from the town’s center, 440 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 Red Jacket’s climate
What is the weather like in Red Jacket?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 13 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 66% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 63% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Red Jacket in winter?
January nights average 26°. About 95 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 27°.
How much snow does Red Jacket get?
About 13 inches in a normal winter at Williamson, WV, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Red Jacket?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 65°. About 44 days a year reach 90° (Williamson, WV).
When is the first and last frost in Red Jacket?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 8 and the first fall frost by November 2, about 206 frost-free days, at Williamson, WV.
What growing zone is Red Jacket in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Red Jacket?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Red Jacket getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 95% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Red Jacket.
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.