Athens, West Virginia climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Athens's normal year runs from 22°F January nights to 82°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 11.2°C, January lows of −5°C, July highs of 28°C.
- NOAA stationAthens
- Station IDUSC00460355
- Location37.42°N 81.03°W
- Elevation2,495 ft (761 m)
- Population1,178
On October 23, the normal high in Athens is 63°F and the normal low 37°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Athens.
- Jan 43° 22°
- Feb 46° 24°
- Mar 53° 30°
- Apr 66° 40°
- May 73° 48°
- Jun 78° 56°
- Jul 82° 60°
- Aug 81° 58°
- Sep 75° 52°
- Oct 65° 40°
- Nov 57° 31°
- Dec 45° 27°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Athens each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 82°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 22°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43°F | 22°F | 32.5°F | – | <1 | 26 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 46°F | 24°F | 34.6°F | – | <1 | 22 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 53°F | 30°F | 41.7°F | – | <1 | 19 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 66°F | 40°F | 53.2°F | – | <1 | 8 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 73°F | 48°F | 60.5°F | – | <1 | 2 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 78°F | 56°F | 67.2°F | – | <1 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 82°F | 60°F | 71.1°F | – | 1 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 81°F | 58°F | 69.7°F | – | 1 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 75°F | 52°F | 63.1°F | – | <1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 65°F | 40°F | 52.5°F | – | <1 | 7 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 57°F | 31°F | 44.0°F | – | <1 | 18 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 45°F | 27°F | 35.9°F | – | <1 | 23 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 64°F | 41°F | 52.2°F | – | 3 | 125 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6°C | −5°C | 0.3°C |
| February | 8°C | −5°C | 1.4°C |
| March | 12°C | −1°C | 5.4°C |
| April | 19°C | 5°C | 11.8°C |
| May | 23°C | 9°C | 15.8°C |
| June | 26°C | 13°C | 19.6°C |
| July | 28°C | 16°C | 21.7°C |
| August | 27°C | 15°C | 20.9°C |
| September | 24°C | 11°C | 17.3°C |
| October | 18°C | 5°C | 11.4°C |
| November | 14°C | 0°C | 6.7°C |
| December | 7°C | −3°C | 2.2°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Bluefield (13 miles away), gets 35 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00460355; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Athens?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, July, August, September and October.
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00460355.
When is the last frost in Athens?
In Athens, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 30 in half of years and after May 19 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 10 in half of years and before September 27 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- April 301 year in 10 after May 19; 9 in 10 after April 14
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 101 year in 10 before September 27; 9 in 10 before October 22
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 161 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 182 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 16 in half of springs and before October 19 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Athens in zone 7a in ZIP code 24739, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in West Virginia · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00460355; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Athens?
In a normal year in Athens, 3 days a year reach 90°F and 125 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 125a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 18high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1944) is 97°F, on July 9, 1988; the lowest is −22°F, on January 21, 1985.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1979, with 51.24 in; the snowiest season is 1986–87, with 66.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00460355; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00460355. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Athens?
Over a year 70% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Athens, 4.0 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (76%) and February the cloudiest (60%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 60% | 2.0 |
| February | 60% | 2.7 |
| March | 65% | 3.8 |
| April | 70% | 5.0 |
| May | 70% | 5.5 |
| June | 75% | 6.1 |
| July | 74% | 5.8 |
| August | 76% | 5.3 |
| September | 75% | 4.5 |
| October | 71% | 3.4 |
| November | 71% | 2.5 |
| December | 61% | 1.8 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Athens need?
A normal year in Athens brings 5,208 heating degree days, 3% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 556 cooling degree days, 39% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,943 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,007 | 0 |
| February | 850 | 0 |
| March | 723 | 1 |
| April | 364 | 9 |
| May | 175 | 36 |
| June | 42 | 106 |
| July | 7 | 195 |
| August | 11 | 155 |
| September | 105 | 49 |
| October | 389 | 3 |
| November | 633 | 2 |
| December | 902 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,208 | 556 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00460355. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
How does Athens's climate compare?
Athens is warmer than 21 of the other 62 places with their own NOAA record in West Virginia. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 52.2°F is warmer than 50%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Athens share this climate record?
4 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Princeton, WV5,595 people · 5 mi SW
- Narrows, VA2,040 people · 13 mi SE
- Rich Creek, VA734 people · 12 mi E
- Glen Lyn, VA93 people · 10 mi E
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Athens's climate
What is the coldest month in Athens?
January, with a normal high of 43°F and a normal low of 22°F. The warmest is July (82°F by day, 60°F at night).
Does it snow in Athens?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Athens's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Bluefield (13 miles away), records 35 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Athens in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Athens in zone 7a in ZIP code 24739, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Athens?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 30; in one year in ten it comes after May 19. Waiting until May 19 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- West Virginia climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Bluefield, WV13 miles from this station, 52.1°F a year
- Bluestone Lake, WV17 miles from this station, 55.0°F a year
- Mullens, WV20 miles from this station, 53.6°F a year
- Elkhorn, WV21 miles from this station, 52.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made