PlainClimate
NOAA 1991–2020 normals Incorporated place · exact Census match 1 NOAA station · Primary-station record

Ashland, VA Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month

Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score

30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Ashland's primary NOAA station, ASHLAND.

The climate verdict for Ashland

Water is the standout signal in Ashland, Virginia: 45.3 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 58°F. It scores 78/100 for climate comfort (good), putting it in the top third of station-mapped location scores and exceeding 72% of them.

58°F
average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
78/100
comfort score, above 72% of station-mapped location scores
45.3"
annual precipitation · 15" snow
202 days
frost-free days per growing season

Ashland: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.

Normals record plate

Sheet USC00440327 · Ashland, VA 58°F mean · 45.3" precip

TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-MID · COMF-TOP · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL

Nearest mean-temperature peer: Eden, NC (+ 0 °F mean)

Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.

Mean-temperature neighbourhood

Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every VA station list.

Climate Living Index · Ashland

Ashland: 69/100 · grade C

Ashland publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.

C
69/100Climate Living Index

PlainClimate-derived for Ashland, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 78/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.

Ashland Living Index dimension scores
DimensionStation valueScore
Normal heat + freeze calendar 88 calendar days 80/100 · B
Annual temperature balance 57.5°F · 10.0° from 67.5°F 68/100 · C
Frost-free season 202 days/year 66/100 · C
Precipitation balance 45.3 in · 10.3 from 35 in 64/100 · C
Snowfall burden 14.7 inches/year 56/100 · C

Ashland · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.

Ashland is a temperate Köppen climate: Cfa

Coldest-month mean 37.0°F and warmest-month mean 77.2°F place this station in temperate, no dry season, hot summer climates (Cfa). Class Cfa is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: temperate, specifically temperate, no dry season, hot summer.

Köppen code
Cfa
Group
Temperate
Warmest month
77.2°F
Coldest month
37.0°F

Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.

National standing · heating-led station

Where Ashland sits across the climate record

Three NOAA fields for Ashland's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.

Annual temperature
68th percentile warmth
Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
Annual precipitation
69th percentile wetness
Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
Seasonal temperature swing
37th percentile swing
Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.

How Ashland compares across U.S. station-mapped locations

Ashland's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations

PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals

78 Top 28% score exceeds 72% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores

0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry. 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry. 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry. 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry. 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry. 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry. 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Below this entry. 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). This entry sits in this band. 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry. 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry. This location 0 100 every station-mapped location, bucketed by value
  1. 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
  2. 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
  3. 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
  4. 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
  5. 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
  6. 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
  7. 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Below this entry.
  8. 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). This entry sits in this band.
  9. 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
  10. 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.

Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more station-mapped locations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Ashland's measured station temperature trend

Methodology

Across 59 complete annual observations from 1956 to 2025, ASHLAND warmed at a fitted rate of 0.20°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.

Ashland fitted annual mean temperature change, 1956-2025 Fitted station-temperature change from 1956 to 2025, relative to the fitted first year. The linear trend warmed at 0.20 °C per decade. -0.3°C +0.2°C +0.7°C +1.2°C +1.7°C 1960198020002020
  • Ashland primary station fitted change +0.20 °C/decade
Source: NOAA GHCN-M v4, quality-controlled monthly mean temperature. PlainClimate fits ordinary least squares over complete calendar years; minimum 30 years, record must reach 2015 or later.

Monthly Temperatures

Average daily high and low temperatures by month

Month Avg High Avg Low Mean
January 47°F (8°C) 27°F (-3°C) 37°F (3°C)
February 51°F (11°C) 29°F (-2°C) 40°F (4°C)
March 60°F (16°C) 36°F (2°C) 48°F (9°C)
April 71°F (22°C) 45°F (7°C) 58°F (15°C)
May 77°F (25°C) 55°F (13°C) 66°F (19°C)
June 83°F (28°C) 63°F (17°C) 73°F (23°C)
July 87°F (30°C) 68°F (20°C) 77°F (25°C)
August 85°F (30°C) 66°F (19°C) 76°F (24°C)
September 79°F (26°C) 60°F (15°C) 69°F (21°C)
October 69°F (21°C) 48°F (9°C) 58°F (15°C)
November 59°F (15°C) 37°F (3°C) 48°F (9°C)
December 50°F (10°C) 30°F (-1°C) 40°F (5°C)

The year, day by day

Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 87°F around July 12, short of 90°F on every date, while 88 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 27°F near January 18.

Normal daily high and low temperature for Ashland, January through December Peaks 87°F around July 12. Bottoms 27°F around January 18. 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 freezing JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal daily high and low across the calendar year. NOAA 1991–2020 daily normals, ASHLAND.

The freezing stretch

The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 2, then returns to freezing around December 6, covering 88 dates in all.

Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.

Where the wet dates fall

The likeliest wet date is May 8, when 33% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is October 4 at 24%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 107 wet dates a year.

The widest day

April 9 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 26°F between the normal high and the normal low.

Look up any date

Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Ashland.

Monthly Precipitation

Average monthly rainfall and snowfall

January 3.3"

Snow: 5.9"

9.7 days with precipitation

February 2.8"

Snow: 4.0"

8.9 days with precipitation

March 3.8"

Snow: 1.8"

9.5 days with precipitation

April 3.4"

9.5 days with precipitation

May 4.2"

10.1 days with precipitation

June 4.6"

8.8 days with precipitation

July 4.3"

9.8 days with precipitation

August 3.9"

8.1 days with precipitation

September 4.2"

8.0 days with precipitation

October 3.7"

7.1 days with precipitation

November 3.4"

7.4 days with precipitation

December 3.7"

Snow: 3.0"

9.4 days with precipitation

Ashland spreads its precipitation across the year

Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 28% of the annual total and December through February 22%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Ashland has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 40.2°F seasonal spread.

The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: June averages 4.6" and February 2.8". The three wettest months together take 29% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.

Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.

When it rains in Ashland, it arrives in quantity

45.3" of precipitation falls across only about 106 wet days here, averaging 0.43 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.

Days with measurable precipitation
about 106 a year, 29% of all days
Average depth per wet day
0.43 inches
Most wet days
May, about 10
Fewest wet days
October, about 7

A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.

Winter brings real snow to Ashland

Ashland averages 14.7 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 8 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.

NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.

Frost Dates & Growing Season

First Fall Freeze

October 29

50% probability date

Last Spring Freeze

April 10

50% probability date

Growing Season

202 days

Heating & Cooling Degree Days

Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling

Heating Degree Days

3,995

Higher = more heating needed

Cooling Degree Days

1,302

Higher = more cooling needed

Warmest Month

July

Coldest Month

January

Nationwide similar cities

Other rankable U.S. places outside VA closest to Ashland on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.

Closest by average temperature

Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (58°F here).

Closest by annual precipitation

Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (45.3" here), excluding temperature-peer places.

Virginia climate overview →

Snow and freeze rhythm

When cold and snow define Ashland

heating led · wet · mid swing

Ashland's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 3,995 annual heating degree days against 1,302 for cooling. Its 40.2°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.

Ashland's frost-free season lasts about 202 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.

  1. 1. Ashland coldest normal

    January

    The coldest month still averages 37°F (3°C), above freezing, so this calendar has no hard winter.

  2. 2. Ashland typical freeze period

    January through December

    The station reports average freezing days from January through December.

  3. 3. Ashland snow peak

    January

    Ashland averages 14.7 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.

Questions about Ashland's climate

How much snow does Ashland get?
Ashland averages 14.7 inches of snow a year, most of it in January, within 45.3 inches of total precipitation. Snowfall is depth on the ground; the precipitation total counts its liquid equivalent, so the two are not additive.
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Ashland?
Ashland has 3,995 heating degree days and 1,302 cooling degree days annually, a heating-dominated climate. Degree-day definitions: reading weather data.

Data Sources

Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Ashland's primary station: ASHLAND (USC00440327). For informational purposes only.

Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 5103368). Match rule for Ashland: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainClimate

On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Ashland comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.