Cedarville School · Photo: Anita Toth Simpson · CC BY 3.0Precipitation in Sand Fork tops that of 75% of U.S. towns: 48 inches a year
Expect July afternoons of about 86°. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 63°. Central heating does most of its work from November to March, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Sand Fork at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sand Fork’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sand Fork’s place in West Virginia beside it.
What a year in Sand Fork 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 25 and the first by October 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Glenville, WV, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sand Fork’s center in zone 6b: 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 22 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Glenville, 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 152 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sand Fork
84% 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 Glenville, WV.
Living with Sand Fork’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
180 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 25 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: April, May, June, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sand Fork from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (91%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sand Fork and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sand Fork yet.
Climates most like Sand Fork’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sand Fork, WV | 23° | 86° | 48" | 22" |
| Princeton, NJ | 23° | 86° | 48" | 24" |
| North Star, DE | 23° | 86° | 48" | 20" |
| Newtown Grant, PA | 23° | 86° | 49" | 20" |
| Walton, KY | 23° | 86° | 47" | 23" |
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 Sand Fork averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 56% 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 Sand Fork compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sand Fork’s place among West Virginia’s.
Sand Fork weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sand Fork’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Glenville, WV. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 23° | 3.6" | 8.1" | 15 | 9 | 25° – 41° |
| February | 46° | 26° | 3.3" | 5.0" | 14 | 6 | 24° – 43° |
| March | 55° | 32° | 4.3" | 4.1" | 14 | 2 | 38° – 54° |
| April | 68° | 40° | 3.8" | 0.1" | 14 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| May | 76° | 50° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 56° – 70° |
| June | 83° | 59° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| July | 86° | 63° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| August | 85° | 62° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| September | 79° | 55° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| October | 69° | 43° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| November | 56° | 33° | 3.1" | 0.8" | 12 | 1 | 39° – 51° |
| December | 46° | 28° | 3.9" | 4.0" | 14 | 5 | 27° – 48° |
| Year | 66° | 43° | 47.9" | 22.1" | 152 | 22 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 27° to 48°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Sand Fork’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 Sand Fork’s center.
- Snow: Glenville, WV.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Glenville, WV, 5 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 Sand Fork’s climate
What is the weather like in Sand Fork?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 22 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 58% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 55% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sand Fork in winter?
January nights average 23°. About 125 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 25°.
How much snow does Sand Fork get?
About 22 inches in a normal winter at Glenville, WV, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 22 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sand Fork?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 63°. About 20 days a year reach 90° (Glenville, WV).
When is the first and last frost in Sand Fork?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 25 and the first fall frost by October 24, about 180 frost-free days, at Glenville, WV.
What growing zone is Sand Fork in?
Zone 6b 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 Sand Fork?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Sand Fork getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 56% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sand Fork.
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.