Monticello, Kentucky climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Monticello's normal year runs from 26°F January nights to 86°F July afternoons, with 52.5 inches of precipitation and 14 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 13.6°C, January lows of −3°C, July highs of 30°C, 1,332 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMonticello (3 mi NE)
- Station IDUSC00155524
- Location36.87°N 84.83°W
- Elevation979 ft (298 m)
- Population5,726
On October 23, the normal high in Monticello is 68°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 Monticello.
- Jan 45° 26°
- Feb 49° 28°
- Mar 58° 35°
- Apr 68° 43°
- May 76° 53°
- Jun 83° 62°
- Jul 86° 66°
- Aug 86° 64°
- Sep 81° 57°
- Oct 70° 46°
- Nov 58° 36°
- Dec 48° 30°
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 Monticello each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 86°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 26°F. The most precipitation falls in March (5.21 in), the least in October (2.94 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45°F | 26°F | 35.5°F | 4.45 | 4.3 | 14 | <1 | 22 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 49°F | 28°F | 38.5°F | 4.27 | 4.2 | 12 | <1 | 20 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 58°F | 35°F | 46.1°F | 5.21 | 2.9 | 13 | <1 | 15 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 68°F | 43°F | 55.6°F | 4.84 | 0.0 | 12 | <1 | 5 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 76°F | 53°F | 64.5°F | 4.94 | 0.0 | 12 | <1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 83°F | 62°F | 72.5°F | 4.67 | 0.0 | 11 | 3 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 86°F | 66°F | 76.0°F | 4.85 | 0.0 | 11 | 8 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 86°F | 64°F | 74.9°F | 3.90 | 0.0 | 8 | 9 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 81°F | 57°F | 69.0°F | 3.80 | 0.0 | 8 | 3 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 70°F | 46°F | 57.9°F | 2.94 | 0.0 | 9 | <1 | 4 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 58°F | 36°F | 46.8°F | 3.62 | 0.2 | 10 | <1 | 13 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 48°F | 30°F | 39.0°F | 4.97 | 2.6 | 13 | <1 | 20 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 67°F | 45°F | 56.4°F | 52.46 | 14.2 | 133 | 24 | 99 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7°C | −3°C | 1.9°C | 113 mm | 11 cm |
| February | 9°C | −2°C | 3.6°C | 108 mm | 11 cm |
| March | 14°C | 1°C | 7.8°C | 132 mm | 7 cm |
| April | 20°C | 6°C | 13.1°C | 123 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 24°C | 12°C | 18.1°C | 125 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 28°C | 17°C | 22.5°C | 119 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 30°C | 19°C | 24.4°C | 123 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 30°C | 18°C | 23.8°C | 99 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 27°C | 14°C | 20.6°C | 97 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 21°C | 8°C | 14.4°C | 75 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 15°C | 2°C | 8.2°C | 92 mm | 1 cm |
| December | 9°C | −1°C | 3.9°C | 126 mm | 7 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00155524; 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 Monticello?
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 USC00155524.
When is the last frost in Monticello?
In Monticello, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 18 in half of years and after May 5 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 26 in half of years and before October 14 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 5; 9 in 10 after March 31
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 261 year in 10 before October 14; 9 in 10 before November 7
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 190 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 214 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 4 in half of springs and before November 3 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Monticello in zone 7a in ZIP code 42633, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Monticello's NOAA station is in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 2°F (21 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 USC00155524; 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.
How hot and how cold does it get in Monticello?
In a normal year in Monticello, 24 days a year reach 90°F, 99 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 133 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 24a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 99a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 13high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 133a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 4a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1956) is 105°F, on June 30, 2012; the lowest is −23°F, on January 19, 1994.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1989, with 68.10 in; the snowiest season is 1959–60, with 57.6 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00155524; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00155524. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Monticello?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Monticello, 4.2 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (79%) and February the cloudiest (61%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 63% | 2.2 |
| February | 61% | 2.8 |
| March | 66% | 3.9 |
| April | 72% | 5.2 |
| May | 73% | 5.7 |
| June | 78% | 6.2 |
| July | 76% | 5.9 |
| August | 79% | 5.5 |
| September | 77% | 4.7 |
| October | 74% | 3.6 |
| November | 73% | 2.6 |
| December | 63% | 1.9 |
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 Monticello need?
A normal year in Monticello brings 4,319 heating degree days, 20% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,198 cooling degree days, 32% 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 4,014 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 915 | 0 |
| February | 742 | 0 |
| March | 590 | 4 |
| April | 306 | 24 |
| May | 108 | 94 |
| June | 11 | 235 |
| July | 0 | 341 |
| August | 2 | 309 |
| September | 38 | 158 |
| October | 252 | 31 |
| November | 549 | 3 |
| December | 806 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,319 | 1,198 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00155524. 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 Monticello's climate compare?
Monticello is warmer than 38 of the other 67 places with their own NOAA record in Kentucky, and wetter than 45. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 56.4°F is warmer than 65%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Monticello 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.
Questions about Monticello's climate
What is the coldest month in Monticello?
January, with a normal high of 45°F and a normal low of 26°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 66°F at night).
Does it snow in Monticello?
Yes: 14 inches in a normal year, falling on 14 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (4.3 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Monticello?
March, with 5.21 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is October with 2.94 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Monticello in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Monticello in zone 7a in ZIP code 42633, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Monticello's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 2°F (21 years, 1991-2020): zone 7a.
How late can frost come in Monticello?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 18; in one year in ten it comes after May 5. Waiting until May 5 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Kentucky climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Jamestown, KY16 miles from this station, 55.4°F a year
- Somerset, KY21 miles from this station, 58.3°F a year
- Pickett State Park, TN22 miles from this station, 54.3°F a year
- Stearns, KY24 miles from this station, 54.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made