Photo: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 2.5More precipitation falls on Summersville than on 85% of U.S. towns: 50 inches a year
Deep winter brings January lows near 23°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 59° apart. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 83% of U.S. towns. Central heating does most of its work from November to March, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Summersville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Summersville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Summersville’s place in West Virginia beside it.
What a year in Summersville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 173 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 27 and the first by October 19. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Summersville Lake, WV, 5 miles from the town’s center, 140 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Summersville’s center in zone 6b: 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 68 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Mt Nebo 1 S, WV, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 50 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 165 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Summersville
90% 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 Summersville Lake, WV.
Living with Summersville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
173 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 27 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 19.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, July, August, September and October. 3.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Summersville from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (56%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 37%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Summersville and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Summersville yet.
Climates most like Summersville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summersville, WV | 23° | 82° | 50" | 68" |
| Coventry, RI | 19° | 82° | 50" | 62" |
| Medford, MA | 20° | 82° | 48" | 64" |
| Killingly, CT | 18° | 82° | 50" | 62" |
| Johnstown, PA | 19° | 83° | 47" | 74" |
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 Summersville averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 69% 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 Summersville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Summersville’s place among West Virginia’s.
Summersville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Summersville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Mt Nebo 1 S, WV. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 23° | 3.5" | 21.1" | 17 | 16 | 24° – 40° |
| February | 45° | 25° | 3.2" | 14.8" | 16 | 12 | 23° – 43° |
| March | 53° | 32° | 4.3" | 12.8" | 15 | 7 | 35° – 53° |
| April | 66° | 40° | 4.2" | 3.2" | 14 | 1 | 46° – 58° |
| May | 73° | 49° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 54° – 68° |
| June | 79° | 57° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 64° – 71° |
| July | 82° | 61° | 5.7" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| August | 81° | 60° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| September | 76° | 54° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 61° – 71° |
| October | 66° | 42° | 3.4" | 2.0" | 11 | 0 | 51° – 60° |
| November | 54° | 33° | 3.3" | 1.8" | 12 | 2 | 36° – 49° |
| December | 44° | 27° | 3.7" | 11.9" | 16 | 11 | 23° – 47° |
| Year | 63° | 42° | 50.2" | 67.6" | 165 | 50 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 23° to 47°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Summersville’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 Summersville’s center.
- Snow: Mt Nebo 1 S, WV.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Summersville Lake, WV, 5 miles from the town’s center, 140 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 Summersville’s climate
What is the weather like in Summersville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 68 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 54% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 83% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Summersville in winter?
January nights average 23°. About 127 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 24°.
How much snow does Summersville get?
About 68 inches in a normal winter at Mt Nebo 1 S, WV, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 50 days a year.
How hot does it get in Summersville?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 61°. About 2 days a year reach 90° (Summersville Lake, WV).
When is the first and last frost in Summersville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 27 and the first fall frost by October 19, about 173 frost-free days, at Summersville Lake, WV.
What growing zone is Summersville in?
Zone 6b 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 Summersville?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Summersville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 69% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Summersville.
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.