Louisville, Kentucky climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Louisville's normal year runs from 28°F January nights to 89°F July afternoons, with 48.3 inches of precipitation and 13 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 14.9°C, January lows of −2°C, July highs of 32°C, 1,228 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationLouisville International Airport
- Station IDUSW00093821
- Location38.18°N 85.74°W
- Elevation488 ft (149 m)
- From the center5 miles
- Population640,796
On October 23, the normal high in Louisville is 68°F and the normal low 47°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 28%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Louisville.
- Jan 44° 28°
- Feb 48° 31°
- Mar 58° 39°
- Apr 70° 49°
- May 78° 59°
- Jun 86° 67°
- Jul 89° 71°
- Aug 88° 70°
- Sep 82° 62°
- Oct 71° 50°
- Nov 58° 39°
- Dec 47° 32°
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 Louisville each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 89°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 28°F. The most precipitation falls in May (5.18 in), the least in January (3.39 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 | 44°F | 28°F | 35.7°F | 3.39 | 4.5 | 11 | <1 | 21 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 48°F | 31°F | 39.5°F | 3.41 | 4.1 | 10 | <1 | 17 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 58°F | 39°F | 48.4°F | 4.60 | 2.1 | 12 | <1 | 10 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 70°F | 49°F | 59.0°F | 4.80 | 0.1 | 12 | <1 | 1 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 78°F | 59°F | 68.3°F | 5.18 | 0.0 | 13 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 86°F | 67°F | 76.4°F | 4.27 | 0.0 | 11 | 9 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 89°F | 71°F | 79.9°F | 4.05 | 0.0 | 10 | 14 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 88°F | 70°F | 78.9°F | 3.71 | 0.0 | 8 | 13 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 82°F | 62°F | 72.0°F | 3.66 | 0.0 | 8 | 6 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 71°F | 50°F | 60.3°F | 3.72 | 0.1 | 8 | <1 | 1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 58°F | 39°F | 48.5°F | 3.42 | 0.3 | 10 | <1 | 8 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 47°F | 32°F | 39.6°F | 4.13 | 2.2 | 12 | <1 | 17 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 68°F | 50°F | 58.9°F | 48.34 | 13.4 | 125 | 43 | 74 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6°C | −2°C | 2.1°C | 86 mm | 11 cm |
| February | 9°C | −1°C | 4.2°C | 87 mm | 10 cm |
| March | 15°C | 4°C | 9.1°C | 117 mm | 5 cm |
| April | 21°C | 9°C | 15.0°C | 122 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 25°C | 15°C | 20.2°C | 132 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 30°C | 20°C | 24.7°C | 108 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 32°C | 22°C | 26.6°C | 103 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 31°C | 21°C | 26.1°C | 94 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 28°C | 17°C | 22.2°C | 93 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 21°C | 10°C | 15.7°C | 94 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 14°C | 4°C | 9.2°C | 87 mm | 1 cm |
| December | 8°C | 0°C | 4.2°C | 105 mm | 6 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00093821; 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 Louisville?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, 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 USW00093821.
When is the last frost in Louisville?
In Louisville, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 31 in half of years and after April 16 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 7 in half of years and before October 28 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
- March 311 year in 10 after April 16; 9 in 10 after March 14
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 71 year in 10 before October 28; 9 in 10 before November 23
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 222 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 244 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 20 in half of springs and before November 17 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Louisville in zone 7a across its 23 ZIP code areas (7a in 40299, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Louisville's NOAA station is in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 4°F (30 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Kentucky · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00093821; 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 Louisville ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Louisville's 23 ZIP code areas are all in zone 7a. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
| ZIP code | Zone | Land in Louisville |
|---|---|---|
| 40023 | 7a | 37.6 km² |
| 40059 | 7a | 19.0 km² |
| 40118 | 7a | 38.0 km² |
| 40207 | 7a | 5.1 km² |
| 40209 | 7a | 1.3 km² |
| 40211 | 7a | 6.4 km² |
| 40213 | 7a | 11.1 km² |
| 40214 | 7a | 23.8 km² |
| 40216 | 7a | 27.0 km² |
| 40218 | 7a | 14.8 km² |
| 40219 | 7a | 38.2 km² |
| 40220 | 7a | 8.3 km² |
| 40222 | 7a | 6.3 km² |
| 40223 | 7a | 12.7 km² |
| 40228 | 7a | 21.7 km² |
| 40229 | 7a | 30.8 km² |
| 40241 | 7a | 28.0 km² |
| 40242 | 7a | 1.0 km² |
| 40245 | 7a | 58.7 km² |
| 40258 | 7a | 30.2 km² |
| 40272 | 7a | 82.4 km² |
| 40291 | 7a | 58.1 km² |
| 40299 | 7a | 115.5 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 Louisville?
In a normal year in Louisville, 43 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 74 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 125 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 43a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 74a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 13high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 125a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 4a normal year
The highest temperature in Louisville's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1872) is 107°F, on July 24, 1901; the lowest is −22°F, on January 19, 1994.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2018, with 68.83 in; the snowiest season is 1917–18, with 50.2 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00093821; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record SDFthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Louisville, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 65°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 66°F, above the 65°F at which most people call the air sticky; the driest air comes in January (25°F). February is the windiest month (9.1 mph on average), and September has the most clear or nearly clear hours (55%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25°F | 65% | 54% | 8.6 mph | 25% | 51% |
| February | 30°F | 62% | 49% | 9.1 mph | 29% | 48% |
| March | 38°F | 57% | 44% | 9.0 mph | 27% | 42% |
| April | 49°F | 62% | 47% | 8.2 mph | 31% | 36% |
| May | 60°F | 66% | 52% | 7.3 mph | 26% | 29% |
| June | 66°F | 66% | 51% | 6.8 mph | 35% | 20% |
| July | 66°F | 66% | 49% | 6.2 mph | 44% | 18% |
| August | 64°F | 66% | 48% | 6.1 mph | 46% | 18% |
| September | 53°F | 65% | 46% | 6.4 mph | 55% | 20% |
| October | 42°F | 65% | 48% | 7.4 mph | 35% | 38% |
| November | 33°F | 68% | 56% | 8.2 mph | 26% | 50% |
| December | 28°F | 71% | 60% | 8.3 mph | 25% | 54% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00093821. 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 Louisville?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Louisville, 4.0 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (81%) and December the cloudiest (61%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 352nd (with 32 others) in sunshine.
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 61% | 1.9 |
| February | 62% | 2.6 |
| March | 66% | 3.7 |
| April | 72% | 5.0 |
| May | 72% | 5.5 |
| June | 80% | 6.3 |
| July | 79% | 6.0 |
| August | 81% | 5.5 |
| September | 79% | 4.6 |
| October | 74% | 3.3 |
| November | 70% | 2.3 |
| December | 61% | 1.7 |
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 Louisville need?
A normal year in Louisville brings 3,936 heating degree days, 27% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,742 cooling degree days, 92% 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 4,759 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 908 | 0 |
| February | 715 | 1 |
| March | 524 | 8 |
| April | 222 | 44 |
| May | 59 | 160 |
| June | 3 | 346 |
| July | 0 | 462 |
| August | 0 | 433 |
| September | 22 | 233 |
| October | 198 | 52 |
| November | 499 | 4 |
| December | 786 | 1 |
| Year (annual) | 3,936 | 1,742 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00093821. 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 Louisville been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 59.4°F, 0.5°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 58.9°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 60.0°F | +1.1°F | 48.54 | 18.8 |
| 2022 | 59.2°F | +0.3°F | 43.04 | 14.2 |
| 2023 | 61.0°F | +2.1°F | 41.09 | 1.3 |
| 2024 | 61.9°F | +3.0°F | 48.23 | 5.3 |
| 2025 | 59.4°F | +0.5°F | 54.59 | 32.5 |
Over 73 complete years from 1948 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 4.5°F per century (+0.25°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00093821; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Louisville's climate compare?
Louisville is warmer than 63 of the other 67 places with their own NOAA record in Kentucky, and wetter than 16. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 58.9°F is warmer than 72%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Louisville 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 Louisville 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.
- Shively, KY15,850 people · 4 mi W
- Hillview, KY8,962 people · 9 mi S
- Pioneer Village, KY2,764 people · 9 mi S
- Brooks, KY2,246 people · 8 mi S
- Audubon Park, KY1,449 people · 2 mi N
- Heritage Creek, KY1,241 people · 9 mi SE
- Lynnview, KY959 people · 2 mi E
- Parkway Village, KY624 people · 2 mi N
- Hollyvilla, KY526 people · 6 mi S
- Poplar Hills, KY387 people · 3 mi E
- Hunters Hollow, KY334 people · 8 mi S
- Elizabeth, IN201 people · 13 mi W
- Louisville, KY3 mi N
- South Park View, KY0 people · 4 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 Louisville's other NOAA stations record?
3 more NOAA stations keep 1991-2020 normals in or near Louisville. This page uses Louisville 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville Bowman Field USW00013810 | 4 mi N | 540 ft | 57.8°F | 27°F | 88°F | 48.1 | – | April 3 |
| Louisville McAlpine USC00154955 | 11 mi NW | 440 ft | 58.0°F | 26°F | 89°F | 48.0 | 4 | March 31 |
| Louisville Weather Office USC00154958 | 3 mi S | 632 ft | 57.1°F | 26°F | 87°F | 53.1 | 15 | April 6 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Louisville's climate
What is the coldest month in Louisville?
January, with a normal high of 44°F and a normal low of 28°F. The warmest is July (89°F by day, 71°F at night).
Does it snow in Louisville?
Yes: 13 inches in a normal year, falling on 12 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (4.5 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Louisville?
May, with 5.18 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 3.39 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Louisville in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Louisville in zone 7a across its 23 ZIP code areas (7a in 40299, the largest). By the same method at Louisville's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 4°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 7a.
How late can frost come in Louisville?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 31; in one year in ten it comes after April 16. Waiting until April 16 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Louisville in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Kentucky climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Louisville Bowman Field, KY5 miles from this station, 57.8°F a year
- Louisville McAlpine, KY7 miles from this station, 58.0°F a year
- Bernheim Forest, KY19 miles from this station, 57.2°F a year
- Crestwood, KY22 miles from this station, 55.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made