Cincinnati, Ohio climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Cincinnati's normal year runs from 23°F January nights to 86°F July afternoons, with 45.3 inches of precipitation and 23 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 12.6°C, January lows of −5°C, July highs of 30°C, 1,150 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationCincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
- Station IDUSW00093814
- Location39.04°N 84.67°W
- Elevation869 ft (265 m)
- From the center11 miles
- Population314,915
On October 23, the normal high in Cincinnati is 64°F and the normal low 43°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 30%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Cincinnati.
- Jan 40° 23°
- Feb 44° 26°
- Mar 54° 34°
- Apr 66° 44°
- May 75° 54°
- Jun 83° 62°
- Jul 86° 66°
- Aug 85° 65°
- Sep 79° 57°
- Oct 67° 46°
- Nov 54° 35°
- Dec 43° 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 Cincinnati each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 86°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 23°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.75 in), the least in September (3.11 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 | 40°F | 23°F | 31.4°F | 3.30 | 7.7 | 13 | <1 | 24 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 44°F | 26°F | 34.7°F | 3.17 | 6.7 | 12 | <1 | 21 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 54°F | 34°F | 43.6°F | 4.16 | 3.4 | 13 | <1 | 15 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 66°F | 44°F | 54.6°F | 4.53 | 0.4 | 13 | <1 | 4 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 75°F | 54°F | 64.1°F | 4.67 | 0.0 | 14 | <1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 83°F | 62°F | 72.3°F | 4.75 | 0.0 | 12 | 4 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 86°F | 66°F | 75.9°F | 3.83 | 0.0 | 11 | 8 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 85°F | 65°F | 74.9°F | 3.43 | 0.0 | 9 | 7 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 79°F | 57°F | 68.1°F | 3.11 | 0.0 | 8 | 3 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 67°F | 46°F | 56.2°F | 3.35 | 0.2 | 9 | <1 | 2 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 54°F | 35°F | 44.4°F | 3.23 | 0.8 | 10 | <1 | 13 | 10 h |
| December | 43°F | 28°F | 35.6°F | 3.73 | 4.1 | 12 | <1 | 21 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 64°F | 45°F | 54.7°F | 45.26 | 23.3 | 136 | 22 | 100 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4°C | −5°C | −0.3°C | 84 mm | 20 cm |
| February | 7°C | −3°C | 1.5°C | 81 mm | 17 cm |
| March | 12°C | 1°C | 6.4°C | 106 mm | 9 cm |
| April | 19°C | 7°C | 12.6°C | 115 mm | 1 cm |
| May | 24°C | 12°C | 17.8°C | 119 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 28°C | 17°C | 22.4°C | 121 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 30°C | 19°C | 24.4°C | 97 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 30°C | 18°C | 23.8°C | 87 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 26°C | 14°C | 20.1°C | 79 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 19°C | 8°C | 13.4°C | 85 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 12°C | 2°C | 6.9°C | 82 mm | 2 cm |
| December | 6°C | −2°C | 2.0°C | 95 mm | 10 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00093814; 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 Cincinnati?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, September and October. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (8).
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 USW00093814.
When is the last frost in Cincinnati?
In Cincinnati, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 18 in half of years and after May 7 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 25 in half of years and before October 12 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 181 year in 10 after May 7; 9 in 10 after April 3
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 251 year in 10 before October 12; 9 in 10 before November 5
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 188 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 212 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 5 in half of springs and before November 3 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Cincinnati in zone 6b across its 28 ZIP code areas (6b in 45230, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Cincinnati's NOAA station is in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −3°F (30 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Ohio · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00093814; 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.
What hardiness zone is each Cincinnati ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Cincinnati's 28 ZIP code areas are all in zone 6b. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
| ZIP code | Zone | Land in Cincinnati |
|---|---|---|
| 45202 | 6b | 6.9 km² |
| 45203 | 6b | 3.1 km² |
| 45204 | 6b | 7.5 km² |
| 45205 | 6b | 7.1 km² |
| 45206 | 6b | 5.3 km² |
| 45207 | 6b | 3.1 km² |
| 45208 | 6b | 11.2 km² |
| 45209 | 6b | 5.4 km² |
| 45211 | 6b | 12.4 km² |
| 45212 | 6b | 1.7 km² |
| 45213 | 6b | 5.6 km² |
| 45214 | 6b | 7.0 km² |
| 45216 | 6b | 5.1 km² |
| 45217 | 6b | 1.6 km² |
| 45219 | 6b | 4.1 km² |
| 45220 | 6b | 7.5 km² |
| 45223 | 6b | 12.0 km² |
| 45224 | 6b | 9.8 km² |
| 45225 | 6b | 7.6 km² |
| 45226 | 6b | 13.4 km² |
| 45227 | 6b | 6.1 km² |
| 45229 | 6b | 7.0 km² |
| 45230 | 6b | 13.5 km² |
| 45232 | 6b | 10.5 km² |
| 45233 | 6b | 5.5 km² |
| 45237 | 6b | 7.9 km² |
| 45238 | 6b | 9.1 km² |
| 45239 | 6b | 3.0 km² |
Source: USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; ZIP areas in the place: Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file. A ZIP area counts when at least a tenth of its land (and 0.5 km²) lies in the place.
How hot and how cold does it get in Cincinnati?
In a normal year in Cincinnati, 22 days a year reach 90°F, 100 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 136 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 22a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 100a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 22high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 136a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 7a normal year
The highest temperature in Cincinnati's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1872) is 108°F, on July 22, 1934; the lowest is −25°F, on January 18, 1977.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2011, with 73.28 in; the snowiest season is 1977–78, with 53.9 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00093814; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record CVGthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Cincinnati, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 64°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 64°F; the driest air comes in January (23°F). February is the windiest month (9.9 mph on average), and September has the most clear or nearly clear hours (50%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23°F | 71% | 59% | 9.2 mph | 27% | 52% |
| February | 28°F | 66% | 54% | 9.9 mph | 25% | 51% |
| March | 36°F | 62% | 48% | 9.7 mph | 29% | 43% |
| April | 46°F | 65% | 50% | 8.8 mph | 29% | 37% |
| May | 58°F | 69% | 53% | 7.3 mph | 26% | 30% |
| June | 64°F | 70% | 53% | 6.6 mph | 39% | 21% |
| July | 64°F | 70% | 51% | 6.2 mph | 41% | 19% |
| August | 63°F | 70% | 51% | 6.5 mph | 43% | 19% |
| September | 52°F | 69% | 49% | 7.1 mph | 50% | 21% |
| October | 40°F | 69% | 53% | 8.1 mph | 38% | 38% |
| November | 31°F | 72% | 60% | 9.0 mph | 23% | 56% |
| December | 26°F | 75% | 65% | 9.0 mph | 24% | 56% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00093814. 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 Cincinnati?
Over a year 72% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Cincinnati, 4.0 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (81%) and December the cloudiest (58%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 385th (with 30 others) in sunshine.
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 59% | 1.8 |
| February | 62% | 2.6 |
| March | 65% | 3.6 |
| April | 71% | 4.9 |
| May | 72% | 5.5 |
| June | 78% | 6.2 |
| July | 79% | 6.0 |
| August | 81% | 5.5 |
| September | 79% | 4.6 |
| October | 72% | 3.2 |
| November | 69% | 2.2 |
| December | 58% | 1.5 |
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 Cincinnati need?
A normal year in Cincinnati brings 4,892 heating degree days, 9% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,160 cooling degree days, 28% more than the median (908). Six months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 3,814 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,043 | 0 |
| February | 847 | 0 |
| March | 664 | 3 |
| April | 328 | 16 |
| May | 118 | 90 |
| June | 13 | 233 |
| July | 1 | 340 |
| August | 2 | 309 |
| September | 53 | 146 |
| October | 296 | 23 |
| November | 617 | 1 |
| December | 911 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,892 | 1,160 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00093814. 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 Cincinnati been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 55.2°F, 0.5°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 54.7°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 56.0°F | +1.3°F | 49.93 | 29.9 |
| 2022 | 55.1°F | +0.4°F | 45.94 | 19.9 |
| 2023 | 56.5°F | +1.8°F | 39.33 | 8.1 |
| 2024 | 57.9°F | +3.2°F | 44.14 | 11.8 |
| 2025 | 55.2°F | +0.5°F | 49.42 | 38.0 |
Over 135 complete years from 1873 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 3.0°F per century (+0.17°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00093814; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Cincinnati's climate compare?
Cincinnati is warmer than 95 of the other 98 places with their own NOAA record in Ohio, and wetter than 83. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 54.7°F is warmer than 59%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Cincinnati is Dfa: continental, no dry season, hot 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 Cincinnati share this climate record?
31 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.
- Covington, KY41,611 people · 8 mi E
- Florence, KY33,763 people · 4 mi S
- Independence, KY30,196 people · 9 mi SE
- Erlanger, KY20,172 people · 4 mi E
- Burlington, KY18,090 people · 3 mi SW
- Oakbrook, KY9,459 people · 3 mi S
- Elsmere, KY9,337 people · 5 mi SE
- Fort Mitchell, KY8,766 people · 6 mi E
- Edgewood, KY8,526 people · 6 mi E
- Union, KY7,874 people · 7 mi S
- Villa Hills, KY7,763 people · 4 mi E
- Taylor Mill, KY7,116 people · 10 mi E
- Hebron, KY6,637 people · 2 mi NW
- Cold Spring, KY6,499 people · 13 mi E
- Highland Heights, KY6,292 people · 12 mi E
- Fort Wright, KY6,096 people · 7 mi E
- Walton, KY5,803 people · 13 mi S
- Delhi Hills, OH5,248 people · 4 mi NE
- Crescent Springs, KY4,707 people · 5 mi E
- Crittenden, KY4,125 people · 18 mi S
- Crestview Hills, KY3,338 people · 6 mi E
- Park Hills, KY3,191 people · 8 mi E
- Wilder, KY3,091 people · 10 mi E
- Lakeside Park, KY2,852 people · 6 mi E
- Rising Sun, IN2,219 people · 12 mi SW
- Verona, KY1,196 people · 16 mi S
- Ryland Heights, KY950 people · 14 mi E
- Belleview, KY234 people · 9 mi SW
- Fairview, KY144 people · 11 mi E
- Rabbit Hash, KY127 people · 12 mi SW
- Kenton Vale, KY104 people · 8 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.
What do Cincinnati's other NOAA stations record?
2 more NOAA stations keep 1991-2020 normals in or near Cincinnati. This page uses Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport; the others differ by site and elevation, and the linked ones have pages of their own:
| Station | From the center | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati-Fernbank USC00331550 | 10 mi W | 500 ft | 55.0°F | 24°F | 86°F | 47.5 | 11 | April 13 |
| Cincinnati Lunken Airport USW00093812 | 5 mi SE | 490 ft | 54.8°F | 24°F | 87°F | 43.4 | – | April 16 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Cincinnati's climate
What is the coldest month in Cincinnati?
January, with a normal high of 40°F and a normal low of 23°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 66°F at night).
Does it snow in Cincinnati?
Yes: 23 inches in a normal year, falling on 22 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (7.7 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Cincinnati?
June, with 4.75 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is September with 3.11 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Cincinnati in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Cincinnati in zone 6b across its 28 ZIP code areas (6b in 45230, the largest). By the same method at Cincinnati's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −3°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 6b.
How late can frost come in Cincinnati?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 18; in one year in ten it comes after May 7. Waiting until May 7 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Cincinnati in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Ohio climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Cincinnati-Fernbank, OH5 miles from this station, 55.0°F a year
- Mack, OH7 miles from this station, 53.6°F a year
- Cheviot, OH8 miles from this station, 53.8°F a year
- Fairfield, OH22 miles from this station, 53.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made