Elkhorn, West Virginia climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Elkhorn's normal year runs from 23°F January nights to 83°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 11.6°C, January lows of −5°C, July highs of 28°C.
- NOAA stationElkhorn
- Station IDUSC00462709
- Location37.39°N 81.41°W
- Elevation1,948 ft (594 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Elkhorn is 65°F and the normal low 38°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Elkhorn.
- Jan 43° 23°
- Feb 46° 26°
- Mar 55° 32°
- Apr 66° 39°
- May 74° 48°
- Jun 80° 56°
- Jul 83° 60°
- Aug 82° 59°
- Sep 77° 53°
- Oct 67° 41°
- Nov 55° 32°
- 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 at Elkhorn each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 83°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 23°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43°F | 23°F | 33.0°F | – | <1 | 25 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 46°F | 26°F | 36.1°F | – | <1 | 22 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 55°F | 32°F | 43.2°F | – | <1 | 17 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 66°F | 39°F | 52.6°F | – | <1 | 8 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 74°F | 48°F | 60.9°F | – | <1 | 1 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 80°F | 56°F | 67.9°F | – | <1 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 83°F | 60°F | 71.6°F | – | 1 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 82°F | 59°F | 70.3°F | – | 2 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 77°F | 53°F | 64.9°F | – | 1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 67°F | 41°F | 54.0°F | – | <1 | 6 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 55°F | 32°F | 43.5°F | – | <1 | 17 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 45°F | 27°F | 35.9°F | – | <1 | 25 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 64°F | 41°F | 52.8°F | – | 5 | 120 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6°C | −5°C | 0.6°C |
| February | 8°C | −4°C | 2.3°C |
| March | 13°C | 0°C | 6.2°C |
| April | 19°C | 4°C | 11.4°C |
| May | 23°C | 9°C | 16.1°C |
| June | 27°C | 13°C | 19.9°C |
| July | 28°C | 16°C | 22.0°C |
| August | 28°C | 15°C | 21.3°C |
| September | 25°C | 11°C | 18.3°C |
| October | 19°C | 5°C | 12.2°C |
| November | 13°C | 0°C | 6.4°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 USC00462709; 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.
Which months are mildest at Elkhorn?
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 USC00462709.
When is the last frost at Elkhorn?
In Elkhorn, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 24 in half of years and after May 14 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 17 in half of years and before October 5 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 241 year in 10 after May 14; 9 in 10 after April 11
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 171 year in 10 before October 5; 9 in 10 before October 30
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 175 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 198 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 10 in half of springs and before October 26 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Elkhorn in zone 7a in ZIP code 24887, 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 USC00462709; 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 at Elkhorn?
In a normal year in Elkhorn, 5 days a year reach 90°F and 120 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 5a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 120a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 18high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1892) is 96°F, on August 24, 2007; the lowest is −17°F, on December 30, 1917.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2006, with 57.65 in; the snowiest season is 2002–03, with 51.6 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00462709; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00462709. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Elkhorn?
Over a year 70% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Elkhorn, 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 many heating and cooling degree days does Elkhorn record?
A normal year at Elkhorn brings 5,034 heating degree days, 6% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 625 cooling degree days, 31% 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 3,081 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 992 | 0 |
| February | 811 | 0 |
| March | 674 | 0 |
| April | 377 | 7 |
| May | 164 | 39 |
| June | 33 | 120 |
| July | 4 | 207 |
| August | 8 | 174 |
| September | 77 | 72 |
| October | 350 | 7 |
| November | 644 | 0 |
| December | 902 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,034 | 625 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00462709. 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 Elkhorn's climate compare?
Elkhorn is warmer than 31 of the 63 places with their own NOAA record in West Virginia. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 52.8°F is warmer than 53%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Elkhorn share this climate record?
14 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.
- Tazewell, VA4,302 people · 19 mi S
- Boissevain, VA757 people · 8 mi S
- Gary, WV687 people · 7 mi W
- Crumpler, WV279 people · 5 mi NE
- Pocahontas, VA262 people · 6 mi SE
- Kimball, WV248 people · 6 mi W
- Northfork, WV205 people · 3 mi NW
- Keystone, WV153 people · 3 mi NW
- Anawalt, WV148 people · 4 mi SW
- Abbs Valley, VA129 people · 11 mi S
- Vivian, WV92 people · 5 mi NW
- Maybeury, WV87 people · 3 mi SE
- Amonate, VA0 people · 19 mi SW
- Pageton, WV0 people · 4 mi SW
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 Elkhorn's climate
What is the coldest month at Elkhorn?
January, with a normal high of 43°F and a normal low of 23°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 60°F at night).
Does it snow at Elkhorn?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the 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 Elkhorn in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Elkhorn in zone 7a in ZIP code 24887, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Elkhorn?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 24; in one year in ten it comes after May 14. Waiting until May 14 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, WV12 miles from this station, 52.1°F a year
- Mullens, WV14 miles from this station, 53.6°F a year
- Pineville, WV15 miles from this station, 54.0°F a year
- Burkes Garden, VA21 miles from this station, 49.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made