Photo: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 2.5Sutton gets more rain and snow than 79% of U.S. towns: 49 inches of precipitation a year
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 85° on average. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.1° above 1901–2000. From April to June and September to October, highs of 68–82° make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
A year in Sutton at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sutton’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sutton’s place in West Virginia beside it.
What a year in Sutton feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 187 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 22 and the first by October 28. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Sutton Lake, WV, 1.1 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sutton’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −1°. 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 17 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Gassaway, WV, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 49 inches a year; July is the wettest month and November the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 159 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sutton
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 Sutton Lake, WV.
Living with Sutton’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
187 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 22 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 28.
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 Sutton from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (87%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sutton and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sutton yet.
Climates most like Sutton’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutton, WV | 24° | 85° | 49" | 17" |
| North Vernon, IN | 23° | 86° | 48" | 17" |
| McKee City, NJ | 25° | 86° | 47" | 17" |
| Georgetown, KY | 24° | 86° | 50" | 15" |
| Westbury, NY | 25° | 85° | 46" | 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 Sutton averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 70% 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 Sutton compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sutton’s place among West Virginia’s.
Sutton weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sutton’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Gassaway, WV. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 24° | 3.5" | 5.4" | 16 | 25° – 41° |
| February | 46° | 26° | 3.2" | 4.1" | 14 | 25° – 43° |
| March | 55° | 32° | 4.3" | 3.3" | 14 | 38° – 54° |
| April | 68° | 41° | 3.9" | 0.2" | 14 | 48° – 59° |
| May | 76° | 50° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 14 | 55° – 70° |
| June | 82° | 59° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 14 | 66° – 74° |
| July | 85° | 63° | 5.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 70° – 78° |
| August | 84° | 62° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 70° – 77° |
| September | 79° | 55° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 63° – 73° |
| October | 68° | 44° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 52° – 61° |
| November | 56° | 33° | 3.1" | 0.8" | 12 | 38° – 50° |
| December | 46° | 28° | 3.8" | 3.5" | 16 | 26° – 48° |
| Year | 66° | 43° | 48.6" | 17.3" | 159 |
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°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Sutton’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 Sutton’s center.
- Snow: Gassaway, WV.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Sutton Lake, WV, 1.1 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 Sutton’s climate
What is the weather like in Sutton?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 17 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 59% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 50% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sutton in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 120 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 25°.
How much snow does Sutton get?
About 17 inches in a normal winter at Gassaway, WV, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Sutton?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 63°. About 35 days a year reach 90° (Sutton Lake, WV).
When is the first and last frost in Sutton?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 22 and the first fall frost by October 28, about 187 frost-free days, at Sutton Lake, WV.
What growing zone is Sutton in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sutton?
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 Sutton getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 70% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sutton.
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.