Henderson, Kentucky climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Henderson's normal year runs from 24°F January nights to 88°F July afternoons, with 47.6 inches of precipitation and less than an inch of snow (0.6 in) a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 13.7°C, January lows of −5°C, July highs of 31°C, 1,208 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationHenderson State Police
- Station IDUSC00153768
- Location37.79°N 87.57°W
- Elevation420 ft (128 m)
- Population27,750
On October 23, the normal high in Henderson is 67°F and the normal low 44°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 26%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Henderson.
- Jan 42° 24°
- Feb 47° 28°
- Mar 57° 35°
- Apr 69° 46°
- May 77° 56°
- Jun 85° 65°
- Jul 88° 67°
- Aug 88° 65°
- Sep 82° 57°
- Oct 70° 46°
- Nov 57° 36°
- Dec 46° 29°
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 Henderson each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 88°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 24°F. The most precipitation falls in April (5.12 in), the least in February (3.11 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42°F | 24°F | 32.8°F | 3.64 | 9 | <1 | 25 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 47°F | 28°F | 37.3°F | 3.11 | 8 | <1 | 20 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 57°F | 35°F | 46.2°F | 4.81 | 10 | <1 | 11 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 69°F | 46°F | 57.5°F | 5.12 | 10 | <1 | 3 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 77°F | 56°F | 66.4°F | 5.01 | 10 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 85°F | 65°F | 74.9°F | 3.65 | 8 | 8 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 88°F | 67°F | 77.4°F | 4.12 | 8 | 13 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 88°F | 65°F | 76.4°F | 3.22 | 6 | 9 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 82°F | 57°F | 69.4°F | 3.48 | 7 | 6 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 70°F | 46°F | 58.4°F | 3.45 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 57°F | 36°F | 46.1°F | 3.97 | 9 | <1 | 14 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 46°F | 29°F | 37.0°F | 3.98 | 9 | <1 | 19 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 67°F | 46°F | 56.6°F | 47.56 | 102 | 38 | 93 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5°C | −5°C | 0.4°C | 92 mm |
| February | 8°C | −2°C | 2.9°C | 79 mm |
| March | 14°C | 2°C | 7.9°C | 122 mm |
| April | 21°C | 8°C | 14.2°C | 130 mm |
| May | 25°C | 13°C | 19.1°C | 127 mm |
| June | 30°C | 18°C | 23.8°C | 93 mm |
| July | 31°C | 20°C | 25.2°C | 105 mm |
| August | 31°C | 19°C | 24.7°C | 82 mm |
| September | 28°C | 14°C | 20.8°C | 88 mm |
| October | 21°C | 8°C | 14.7°C | 88 mm |
| November | 14°C | 2°C | 7.8°C | 101 mm |
| December | 8°C | −2°C | 2.8°C | 101 mm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00153768; 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 Henderson?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, September and October. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (7).
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 USC00153768.
When is the last frost in Henderson?
In Henderson, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 9 in half of years and after April 24 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 26 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 91 year in 10 after April 24; 9 in 10 after March 26
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 261 year in 10 before October 12; 9 in 10 before November 6
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 198 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 219 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 31 in half of springs and before November 4 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Henderson in zone 7a in ZIP code 42420, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Kentucky · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00153768; 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 Henderson?
In a normal year in Henderson, 38 days a year reach 90°F (3 of them 100°F or more), 93 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 102 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 38a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 93a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 14high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 102a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00153768.
How sunny is Henderson?
Over a year 75% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Henderson, 4.2 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (82%) and December the cloudiest (63%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 64% | 2.1 |
| February | 63% | 2.7 |
| March | 67% | 3.8 |
| April | 73% | 5.1 |
| May | 75% | 5.7 |
| June | 82% | 6.4 |
| July | 82% | 6.2 |
| August | 82% | 5.6 |
| September | 80% | 4.7 |
| October | 76% | 3.5 |
| November | 72% | 2.5 |
| December | 63% | 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 Henderson need?
A normal year in Henderson brings 4,418 heating degree days, 18% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,396 cooling degree days, 54% more than the median (908). Five months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 4,212 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 999 | 0 |
| February | 776 | 0 |
| March | 586 | 4 |
| April | 251 | 24 |
| May | 86 | 128 |
| June | 3 | 299 |
| July | 0 | 383 |
| August | 1 | 354 |
| September | 38 | 168 |
| October | 239 | 32 |
| November | 573 | 4 |
| December | 868 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,418 | 1,396 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00153768. 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 Henderson's climate compare?
Henderson is warmer than 41 of the other 67 places with their own NOAA record in Kentucky, and wetter than 8. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 56.6°F is warmer than 65%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Henderson is Cfa: temperate, 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 Henderson share this climate record?
5 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.
- Sebree, KY1,530 people · 14 mi S
- Parkers Settlement, IN573 people · 19 mi NW
- Robards, KY445 people · 8 mi S
- Anthoston, KY242 people · 3 mi SE
- Poole, KY163 people · 11 mi S
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 Henderson's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Henderson. This page uses Henderson State Police; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henderson (8 mi SSW) USC00153762 | 5 mi SW | 449 ft | 57.1°F | 26°F | 87°F | 46.0 | 12 | April 4 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Henderson's climate
What is the coldest month in Henderson?
January, with a normal high of 42°F and a normal low of 24°F. The warmest is July (88°F by day, 67°F at night).
Does it snow in Henderson?
Rarely: NOAA's normal is 0.6 inch a year.
What is the rainiest month in Henderson?
April, with 5.12 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 3.11 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Henderson in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Henderson in zone 7a in ZIP code 42420, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Henderson?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 9; in one year in ten it comes after April 24. Waiting until April 24 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Kentucky climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Newburgh, IN14 miles from this station, 57.1°F a year
- Evansville, IN17 miles from this station, 57.2°F a year
- Mount Vernon, IN20 miles from this station, 55.9°F a year
- J.T. Myers Locks & Dam, IN23 miles from this station, 56.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made