Prestonsburg, Kentucky climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Prestonsburg's normal year runs from 23°F January nights to 86°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 12.7°C, January lows of −5°C, July highs of 30°C.
- NOAA stationPrestonsburg (3 mi WSW)
- Station IDUSC00156563
- Location37.66°N 82.83°W
- Elevation760 ft (232 m)
- From the center4 miles
- Population3,638
On October 23, the normal high in Prestonsburg is 65°F and the normal low 40°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Prestonsburg.
- Jan 44° 23°
- Feb 48° 26°
- Mar 57° 31°
- Apr 70° 40°
- May 76° 51°
- Jun 83° 60°
- Jul 86° 64°
- Aug 85° 63°
- Sep 79° 57°
- Oct 68° 44°
- Nov 57° 32°
- Dec 47° 27°
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 Prestonsburg each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 86°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 23°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44°F | 23°F | 33.2°F | – | <1 | 20 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 48°F | 26°F | 36.7°F | – | <1 | 17 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 57°F | 31°F | 44.2°F | – | <1 | 17 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 70°F | 40°F | 54.5°F | – | <1 | 8 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 76°F | 51°F | 63.6°F | – | 2 | 1 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 83°F | 60°F | 71.2°F | – | 3 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 86°F | 64°F | 75.1°F | – | 10 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 85°F | 63°F | 73.9°F | – | 4 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 79°F | 57°F | 67.8°F | – | 4 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 68°F | 44°F | 55.8°F | – | 1 | 2 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 57°F | 32°F | 44.6°F | – | <1 | 19 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 47°F | 27°F | 37.3°F | – | <1 | 23 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 67°F | 43°F | 54.8°F | – | 25 | 106 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6°C | −5°C | 0.7°C |
| February | 9°C | −4°C | 2.6°C |
| March | 14°C | −1°C | 6.8°C |
| April | 21°C | 4°C | 12.5°C |
| May | 24°C | 11°C | 17.6°C |
| June | 28°C | 16°C | 21.8°C |
| July | 30°C | 18°C | 23.9°C |
| August | 29°C | 17°C | 23.3°C |
| September | 26°C | 14°C | 19.9°C |
| October | 20°C | 7°C | 13.2°C |
| November | 14°C | 0°C | 7.0°C |
| December | 8°C | −3°C | 2.9°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station, and no record within 25 miles keeps one, so snow is left out here rather than estimated.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00156563; 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 Prestonsburg?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, August, September and October.
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 USC00156563.
When is the last frost in Prestonsburg?
In Prestonsburg, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 23 in half of years and after May 10 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 23 in half of years and before October 8 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 231 year in 10 after May 10; 9 in 10 after April 8
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 231 year in 10 before October 8; 9 in 10 before November 4
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 183 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 203 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 9 in half of springs and before November 1 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Prestonsburg in zone 7a in ZIP code 41653.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Kentucky · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00156563; 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 Prestonsburg?
In a normal year in Prestonsburg, 25 days a year reach 90°F and 106 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 25a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 106a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 10high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00156563.
How sunny is Prestonsburg?
Over a year 71% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Prestonsburg, 4.1 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (77%) and February the cloudiest (59%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 61% | 2.0 |
| February | 59% | 2.6 |
| March | 64% | 3.7 |
| April | 70% | 5.0 |
| May | 72% | 5.6 |
| June | 77% | 6.2 |
| July | 76% | 5.8 |
| August | 77% | 5.4 |
| September | 76% | 4.5 |
| October | 72% | 3.4 |
| November | 71% | 2.5 |
| December | 61% | 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 Prestonsburg need?
A normal year in Prestonsburg brings 4,705 heating degree days, 12% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,022 cooling degree days, 13% more 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 3,611 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 985 | 0 |
| February | 792 | 0 |
| March | 646 | 0 |
| April | 331 | 15 |
| May | 111 | 68 |
| June | 8 | 193 |
| July | 0 | 313 |
| August | 2 | 277 |
| September | 54 | 137 |
| October | 304 | 19 |
| November | 613 | 0 |
| December | 860 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,705 | 1,022 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00156563. 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 Prestonsburg been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 57.6°F, 2.8°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 54.8°F. 4 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 55.7°F | +0.9°F |
| 2022 | 54.9°F | +0.1°F |
| 2023 | 56.6°F | +1.8°F |
| 2024 | 57.6°F | +2.8°F |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00156563. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Prestonsburg's climate compare?
Prestonsburg is warmer than 13 of the other 67 places with their own NOAA record in Kentucky. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 54.8°F is warmer than 59%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Prestonsburg share this climate record?
6 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.
- McDowell, KY549 people · 15 mi S
- Martin, KY478 people · 7 mi SE
- Wayland, KY359 people · 14 mi S
- Allen, KY167 people · 6 mi SE
- Dwale, KY153 people · 6 mi E
- Maytown, KY14 people · 9 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.
Questions about Prestonsburg's climate
What is the coldest month in Prestonsburg?
January, with a normal high of 44°F and a normal low of 23°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 64°F at night).
What plant hardiness zone is Prestonsburg in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Prestonsburg in zone 7a in ZIP code 41653.
How late can frost come in Prestonsburg?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 23; in one year in ten it comes after May 10. Waiting until May 10 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Kentucky climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Paintsville, KY11 miles from this station, 55.3°F a year
- Salyersville, KY14 miles from this station, 54.7°F a year
- Charley (2 mi SW), KY22 miles from this station, 54.0°F a year
- Inez, KY22 miles from this station, 55.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made