Louisville, KY Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Explore NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 climate normals → and a clearly labeled PlainClimate comfort calculation
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Louisville's primary NOAA station, LOUISVILLE INTL AP - 2 stations mapped to the area.
The climate verdict for Louisville
Water is the standout signal in Louisville, Kentucky: 48.3 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 59°F. It scores 78/100 for climate comfort (good), putting it in the top third of station-mapped location scores and exceeding 72% of them.
- 59°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 78/100
- comfort score, above 72% of station-mapped location scores
- 48.3"
- annual precipitation · 13" snow
- 221 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Louisville: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USW00093821 · Louisville, KY 59°F mean · 48.3" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-MID · COMF-TOP · LOAD-HEAT · STN-MULTI · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 59°F
- RANK-UPPER #4,940
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ New Madrid
- PRCP-MID 48.3"
- SWING-MID 44°F
- COMF-TOP 78/100
- LOAD-HEAT 3,936 HDD
- STN-MULTI USW00093821
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: New Madrid, MO (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every KY station list.
- Louisville (this station) 59°F
- Cold Paducah, KY 59°F
- Hot Claremore, OK 59°F
- Near New Madrid, MO 59°F
- Near Martin U of T B…, TN 59°F
Climate Living Index · Louisville
Louisville: 66/100 · grade C
Louisville publishes all six Living Index dimensions from NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals · NOAA hourly normals.
PlainClimate-derived for Louisville, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 78/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 67 calendar days | 86/100 · A |
| Frost-free season | 221 days/year | 77/100 · B |
| Annual temperature balance | 58.9°F · 8.6° from 67.5°F | 73/100 · B |
| Snowfall burden | 13.4 inches/year | 58/100 · C |
| Precipitation balance | 48.3 in · 13.3 from 35 in | 53/100 · D |
| Summer moisture balance | 65.3°F mean dew point | 34/100 · F |
Louisville · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Louisville is a temperate Köppen climate: Cfa
Coldest-month mean 35.7°F and warmest-month mean 79.9°F place this station in temperate, no dry season, hot summer climates (Cfa). Class Cfa is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: temperate, specifically temperate, no dry season, hot summer.
- Köppen code
- Cfa
- Group
- Temperate
- Warmest month
- 79.9°F
- Coldest month
- 35.7°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Louisville sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Louisville's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Top 28% warmest
- Among 6,861 stations, Louisville sits in the warmer third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Top 23% wettest
- Louisville's annual total ranks in the wetter third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 54th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Louisville compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Louisville's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
78 Top 28% score exceeds 72% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Below this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). This entry sits in this band.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Louisville's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 73 complete annual observations from 1948 to 2025, LOUISVILLE INTL AP warmed at a fitted rate of 0.25°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Louisville primary station fitted change +0.25 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44°F (6°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 3.4" | 4.5" | 21.3 | 0.0 |
| February | 48°F (9°C) | 31°F (-1°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 3.4" | 4.1" | 16.7 | 0.0 |
| March | 58°F (15°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 4.6" | 2.1" | 9.5 | 0.0 |
| April | 70°F (21°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 4.8" | 0.1" | 1.2 | 0.0 |
| May | 78°F (25°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 5.2" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 1.2 |
| June | 86°F (30°C) | 67°F (20°C) | 76°F (25°C) | 4.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 8.6 |
| July | 89°F (32°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 80°F (27°C) | 4.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 14.3 |
| August | 88°F (31°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 79°F (26°C) | 3.7" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 12.6 |
| September | 82°F (28°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 3.7" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 5.5 |
| October | 71°F (21°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 60°F (16°C) | 3.7" | 0.1" | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| November | 58°F (14°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 3.4" | 0.3" | 8.1 | 0.0 |
| December | 47°F (8°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 4.1" | 2.2" | 16.8 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 89°F around July 12, short of 90°F on every date, while 67 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 27°F near January 20.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into February 20, then returns to freezing around December 16, covering 67 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is May 1, when 42% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is September 14 at 25%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 125 wet dates a year.
The widest day
April 9 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 22°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Louisville.
Where Louisville Stands Nationally
Days and nights track unusually close together; the widest normal swing, about 22°F, is narrower than most stations record.
Louisville earns one nationally notable standing (outer quintile) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations, middle-of-the-pack metrics stay silent here.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 4.5"
11.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 4.1"
10.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.1"
12.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
11.9 days with precipitation
12.6 days with precipitation
10.5 days with precipitation
10.2 days with precipitation
8.2 days with precipitation
7.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
7.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.3"
9.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.2"
11.8 days with precipitation
Louisville spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 25% of the annual total and December through February 23%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Louisville has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 44.2°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: May averages 5.2" and January 3.4". The three wettest months together take 30% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
When it rains in Louisville, it arrives in quantity
48.3" of precipitation falls across only about 125 wet days here, averaging 0.39 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.
- Days with measurable precipitation
- about 125 a year, 34% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.39 inches
- Most wet days
- May, about 13
- Fewest wet days
- September, about 8
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.
Winter brings real snow to Louisville
Louisville averages 13.4 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 12 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 13.4 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 12 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 3% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
November 7
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
March 31
50% probability date
Growing Season
221 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
3,936
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,742
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Humidity & Wind
Monthly averages from hourly observations
| Month | Humidity | Wind (mph) | Clear Sky % | Overcast % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 65% | 8.6 | 14% | 51% |
| February | 62% | 9.1 | 18% | 48% |
| March | 57% | 9.0 | 16% | 42% |
| April | 62% | 8.2 | 18% | 36% |
| May | 66% | 7.3 | 13% | 29% |
| June | 66% | 6.8 | 19% | 20% |
| July | 66% | 6.2 | 25% | 18% |
| August | 66% | 6.1 | 26% | 18% |
| September | 65% | 6.4 | 37% | 20% |
| October | 65% | 7.4 | 21% | 38% |
| November | 68% | 8.2 | 15% | 50% |
| December | 71% | 8.3 | 13% | 54% |
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside KY closest to Louisville on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (59°F here).
- Alicia, AR 59°F · 0.0°F off
- Bridgeport, AL 59°F · 0.0°F off
- Decaturville, TN 59°F · 0.0°F off
- Jonesboro, AR 59°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (48.3" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Grampian, PA 48.3" · 0.0" off
- Apex, NC 48.3" · 0.0" off
- Branson, MO 48.3" · 0.0" off
- Carmi, IL 48.3" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Louisville
heating led · wet · mid swing
Louisville's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 3,936 annual heating degree days against 1,742 for cooling. Its 44.2°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Louisville's frost-free season lasts about 221 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Louisville coldest normal
January
The monthly mean of 36°F (2°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Louisville typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Louisville snow peak
January
Louisville averages 13.4 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Louisville's climate
How much snow does Louisville get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Louisville get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Louisville? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Louisville's primary station: LOUISVILLE INTL AP (USW00093821). 2 NOAA stations are mapped to the Louisville area; the primary station's record is used for consistency. For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 2148000). Match rule for Louisville: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Louisville comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.