Beckley, West Virginia climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Beckley's normal year runs from 24°F January nights to 81°F July afternoons, with 43.5 inches of precipitation and 56 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 11.6°C, January lows of −4°C, July highs of 27°C, 1,106 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBeckley Raleigh County Airport
- Station IDUSW00003872
- Location37.78°N 81.12°W
- Elevation2,514 ft (766 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population16,515
On October 14, the normal high in Beckley is 65°F and the normal low 45°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 35%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Beckley.
- Jan 41° 24°
- Feb 44° 27°
- Mar 53° 33°
- Apr 64° 43°
- May 72° 51°
- Jun 78° 59°
- Jul 81° 62°
- Aug 80° 61°
- Sep 74° 55°
- Oct 64° 44°
- Nov 53° 35°
- Dec 44° 28°
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 Beckley each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 24°F. The most precipitation falls in July (5.00 in), the least in October (2.73 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41°F | 24°F | 32.2°F | 3.13 | 15.5 | 15 | <1 | 24 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 44°F | 27°F | 35.4°F | 3.12 | 15.2 | 14 | <1 | 21 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 53°F | 33°F | 42.8°F | 4.03 | 8.9 | 16 | <1 | 16 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 64°F | 43°F | 53.5°F | 3.58 | 1.5 | 14 | <1 | 6 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 72°F | 51°F | 61.3°F | 4.68 | 0.0 | 15 | <1 | 1 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 78°F | 59°F | 68.2°F | 4.30 | 0.0 | 14 | <1 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 81°F | 62°F | 71.6°F | 5.00 | 0.0 | 14 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 80°F | 61°F | 70.5°F | 3.68 | 0.0 | 12 | <1 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 74°F | 55°F | 64.7°F | 3.20 | 0.0 | 10 | <1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 64°F | 44°F | 54.3°F | 2.73 | 1.4 | 11 | <1 | 4 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 53°F | 35°F | 44.0°F | 2.80 | 2.3 | 12 | <1 | 14 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 44°F | 28°F | 36.0°F | 3.29 | 11.1 | 15 | <1 | 22 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 62°F | 43°F | 52.9°F | 43.54 | 55.9 | 161 | 1 | 107 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5°C | −4°C | 0.1°C | 80 mm | 39 cm |
| February | 7°C | −3°C | 1.9°C | 79 mm | 39 cm |
| March | 11°C | 1°C | 6.0°C | 102 mm | 23 cm |
| April | 18°C | 6°C | 11.9°C | 91 mm | 4 cm |
| May | 22°C | 11°C | 16.3°C | 119 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 25°C | 15°C | 20.1°C | 109 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 27°C | 17°C | 22.0°C | 127 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27°C | 16°C | 21.4°C | 93 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 24°C | 13°C | 18.2°C | 81 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 18°C | 7°C | 12.4°C | 69 mm | 4 cm |
| November | 12°C | 2°C | 6.7°C | 71 mm | 6 cm |
| December | 7°C | −2°C | 2.2°C | 84 mm | 28 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00003872; 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 Beckley?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (10).
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 USW00003872.
When is the last frost in Beckley?
In Beckley, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 22 in half of years and after May 13 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 21 in half of years and before October 8 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 221 year in 10 after May 13; 9 in 10 after April 8
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 211 year in 10 before October 8; 9 in 10 before November 2
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 180 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 203 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 9 in half of springs and before October 31 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Beckley in zone 6b in ZIP code 25911, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Beckley's NOAA station is in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −1°F (30 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in West Virginia · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00003872; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. 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 Beckley?
In a normal year in Beckley, 1 day a year reaches 90°F, 107 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 161 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 107a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 25high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 161a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 17a normal year
The highest temperature in Beckley's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1896) is 103°F, on July 21, 1926; the lowest is −22°F, on January 21, 1985.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1935, with 57.41 in; the snowiest season is 2009–10, with 134.1 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00003872; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record BKWthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Beckley, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 61°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 62°F; the driest air comes in January (22°F). February is the windiest month (8.4 mph on average), and August has the most clear or nearly clear hours (63%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22°F | 67% | 55% | 8.1 mph | 42% | 45% |
| February | 27°F | 65% | 53% | 8.4 mph | 42% | 44% |
| March | 34°F | 60% | 45% | 8.3 mph | 50% | 35% |
| April | 43°F | 62% | 46% | 7.6 mph | 52% | 28% |
| May | 55°F | 73% | 55% | 6.0 mph | 52% | 23% |
| June | 61°F | 75% | 57% | 5.4 mph | 59% | 15% |
| July | 62°F | 78% | 60% | 4.9 mph | 59% | 17% |
| August | 60°F | 76% | 56% | 5.1 mph | 63% | 17% |
| September | 51°F | 75% | 56% | 6.0 mph | 60% | 24% |
| October | 37°F | 66% | 49% | 6.7 mph | 55% | 31% |
| November | 29°F | 67% | 54% | 7.6 mph | 49% | 40% |
| December | 25°F | 71% | 60% | 8.0 mph | 41% | 49% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00003872. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Beckley?
Over a year 70% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Beckley, 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 Beckley need?
A normal year in Beckley brings 5,060 heating degree days, 6% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 665 cooling degree days, 27% 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 3,173 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,015 | 0 |
| February | 829 | 0 |
| March | 690 | 2 |
| April | 358 | 13 |
| May | 162 | 47 |
| June | 31 | 129 |
| July | 6 | 209 |
| August | 9 | 179 |
| September | 85 | 76 |
| October | 343 | 10 |
| November | 632 | 1 |
| December | 901 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,060 | 665 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00003872. 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.
Has Beckley been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 53.2°F, 0.3°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 52.9°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 53.6°F | +0.8°F | 41.79 | 31.0 |
| 2022 | 52.8°F | −0.1°F | 48.27 | 35.1 |
| 2023 | 54.3°F | +1.4°F | 40.66 | 14.9 |
| 2024 | 55.2°F | +2.3°F | 38.08 | 28.5 |
| 2025 | 53.2°F | +0.3°F | 41.16 | 60.2 |
Over 71 complete years from 1953 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 4.1°F per century (+0.23°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00003872; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Beckley's climate compare?
Beckley is warmer than 34 of the other 62 places with their own NOAA record in West Virginia, and wetter than 17. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 52.9°F is warmer than 53%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Beckley is Cfb: temperate, no dry season, warm summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Beckley share this climate record?
19 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.
- Shady Spring, WV3,455 people · 6 mi S
- Crab Orchard, WV1,877 people · 7 mi SW
- Prosperity, WV1,575 people · 6 mi NW
- Daniels, WV1,542 people · 4 mi S
- Bradley, WV1,429 people · 8 mi NW
- Stanaford, WV1,327 people · 2 mi NW
- MacArthur, WV1,287 people · 5 mi SW
- Mabscott, WV1,278 people · 5 mi W
- Coal City, WV1,236 people · 9 mi SW
- Sophia, WV1,081 people · 9 mi SW
- Sprague, WV971 people · 3 mi W
- Piney View, WV692 people · 4 mi N
- Beaver, WV619 people · 4 mi SW
- Ghent, WV363 people · 11 mi S
- Lester, WV333 people · 10 mi W
- Glen White, WV200 people · 9 mi SW
- Raleigh, WV168 people · 3 mi SW
- Eccles, WV40 people · 8 mi W
- Prince, WV34 people · 5 mi N
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Beckley's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Beckley. This page uses Beckley Raleigh County Airport; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From the center | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beckley Va Hospital USC00460580 | 2 mi W | 2,330 ft | 49.7°F | 19°F | 79°F | 43.4 | 38 | May 6 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Beckley's climate
What is the coldest month in Beckley?
January, with a normal high of 41°F and a normal low of 24°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 62°F at night).
Does it snow in Beckley?
Yes: 56 inches in a normal year, falling on 33 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (15.5 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Beckley?
July, with 5.00 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is October with 2.73 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Beckley in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Beckley in zone 6b in ZIP code 25911, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Beckley's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −1°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 6b.
How late can frost come in Beckley?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 22; in one year in ten it comes after May 13. Waiting until May 13 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Beckley in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- West Virginia climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Oak Hill, WV13 miles from this station, 52.4°F a year
- Bluestone Lake, WV16 miles from this station, 55.0°F a year
- Mullens, WV18 miles from this station, 53.6°F a year
- Anstead Hawks Nest State Park, WV24 miles from this station, 53.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made