Pickens, West Virginia climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Pickens's normal year runs from 20°F January nights to 77°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.8°C, January lows of −7°C, July highs of 25°C.
- NOAA stationPickens (2 mi N)
- Station IDUSC00466989
- Location38.68°N 80.20°W
- Elevation2,880 ft (878 m)
- Population (census place)15
On October 23, the normal high in Pickens is 58°F and the normal low 40°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Pickens.
- Jan 36° 20°
- Feb 39° 22°
- Mar 48° 30°
- Apr 58° 40°
- May 67° 50°
- Jun 74° 57°
- Jul 77° 61°
- Aug 77° 59°
- Sep 72° 53°
- Oct 61° 43°
- Nov 49° 33°
- Dec 41° 26°
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 Pickens each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 77°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 20°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36°F | 20°F | 28.3°F | – | <1 | 26 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 39°F | 22°F | 30.4°F | – | <1 | 23 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 48°F | 30°F | 38.6°F | – | <1 | 19 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 58°F | 40°F | 49.1°F | – | <1 | 8 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 67°F | 50°F | 58.3°F | – | <1 | 1 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 74°F | 57°F | 65.5°F | – | <1 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 77°F | 61°F | 68.9°F | – | <1 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 77°F | 59°F | 67.7°F | – | <1 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 72°F | 53°F | 62.7°F | – | <1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 61°F | 43°F | 51.9°F | – | <1 | 6 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 49°F | 33°F | 40.9°F | – | <1 | 16 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 41°F | 26°F | 33.6°F | – | <1 | 24 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 58°F | 41°F | 49.7°F | – | <1 | 123 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2°C | −7°C | −2.1°C |
| February | 4°C | −5°C | −0.9°C |
| March | 9°C | −1°C | 3.7°C |
| April | 15°C | 4°C | 9.5°C |
| May | 19°C | 10°C | 14.6°C |
| June | 23°C | 14°C | 18.6°C |
| July | 25°C | 16°C | 20.5°C |
| August | 25°C | 15°C | 19.8°C |
| September | 22°C | 12°C | 17.1°C |
| October | 16°C | 6°C | 11.1°C |
| November | 10°C | 0°C | 4.9°C |
| December | 5°C | −3°C | 0.9°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Hacker Valley (11 miles away), gets 71 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00466989; 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 Pickens?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September.
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 USC00466989.
When is the last frost in Pickens?
In Pickens, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 25 in half of years and after May 13 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 19 in half of years and before October 4 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 251 year in 10 after May 13; 9 in 10 after April 10
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 191 year in 10 before October 4; 9 in 10 before November 2
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 176 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 199 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 13 in half of springs and before October 30 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Pickens in zone 6a in ZIP code 26230, 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 USC00466989; 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 Pickens?
In a normal year in Pickens, a 90°F day is rare and 123 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 123a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 42high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00466989.
How sunny is Pickens?
Over a year 69% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Pickens, 3.9 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (76%) and January the cloudiest (56%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 56% | 1.8 |
| February | 58% | 2.5 |
| March | 63% | 3.6 |
| April | 67% | 4.8 |
| May | 68% | 5.3 |
| June | 74% | 6.0 |
| July | 74% | 5.8 |
| August | 76% | 5.3 |
| September | 75% | 4.4 |
| October | 69% | 3.2 |
| November | 68% | 2.3 |
| December | 57% | 1.6 |
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 Pickens need?
A normal year in Pickens brings 5,967 heating degree days, 11% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 405 cooling degree days, 55% 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 2,641 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,139 | 0 |
| February | 969 | 0 |
| March | 820 | 0 |
| April | 483 | 6 |
| May | 231 | 23 |
| June | 63 | 78 |
| July | 14 | 135 |
| August | 27 | 111 |
| September | 114 | 46 |
| October | 411 | 5 |
| November | 722 | 1 |
| December | 974 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,967 | 405 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00466989. 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 Pickens's climate compare?
Pickens is warmer than 6 of the other 62 places with their own NOAA record in West Virginia. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 49.7°F is warmer than 39%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Pickens share this climate record?
Helvetia has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its 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.
- Helvetia, WV16 people · 2 mi N
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 Pickens's climate
What is the coldest month in Pickens?
January, with a normal high of 36°F and a normal low of 20°F. The warmest is July (77°F by day, 61°F at night).
Does it snow in Pickens?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Pickens's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Hacker Valley (11 miles away), records 71 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Pickens in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Pickens in zone 6a in ZIP code 26230, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Pickens?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 25; in one year in ten it comes after May 13. Waiting until May 13 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
- Kumbrabow, WV7 miles from this station, 46.2°F a year
- Hacker Valley, WV11 miles from this station, 49.7°F a year
- Rock Cave, WV14 miles from this station, 51.8°F a year
- Webster Springs, WV16 miles from this station, 51.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made