Richwood, WV Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Annual temperature and rainfall from NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 normals →; comfort score computed by PlainClimate
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Richwood's primary NOAA station, RICHWOOD 1SSE.
The climate verdict for Richwood
Water is the standout signal in Richwood, West Virginia: 55.8 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 50°F. At 44/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 10% of scores.
- 50°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 44/100
- comfort score, above 10% of station-mapped location scores
- 55.8"
- annual precipitation · 100" snow
- 171 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Richwood: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00467513 · Richwood, WV 50°F mean · 55.8" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-WET · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 50°F
- RANK-COOL #2,676
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Moriarty
- PRCP-WET 55.8"
- SWING-MID 40°F
- COMF-LOW 44/100
- LOAD-HEAT 5,873 HDD
- STN-1 USC00467513
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Moriarty, NM (+ 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 WV station list.
- Richwood (this station) 50°F
- Cold Pomeroy, WA 50°F
- Hot Grants Milan, NM 50°F
- Near Moriarty, NM 50°F
- Near Santa FE, NM 50°F
Climate Living Index · Richwood
Richwood: 39/100 · grade F
Richwood publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Richwood, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 44/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 130 calendar days | 59/100 · C |
| Frost-free season | 171 days/year | 43/100 · D |
| Annual temperature balance | 49.9°F · 17.6° from 67.5°F | 40/100 · D |
| Precipitation balance | 55.8 in · 20.8 from 35 in | 25/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 100.0 inches/year | 0/100 · F |
Richwood · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Richwood is a continental Köppen climate: Dfb
Coldest-month mean 28.7°F and warmest-month mean 68.7°F place this station in continental, no dry season, warm summer climates (Dfb). Class Dfb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfb
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 68.7°F
- Coldest month
- 28.7°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 Richwood sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Richwood's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 39th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Top 10% wettest
- Richwood's annual total ranks in the wetter third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 36th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Richwood compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Richwood's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
44 10th percentile score exceeds 10% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 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
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38°F (3°C) | 20°F (-7°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 4.3" | 26.1" | 25.6 | 0.0 |
| February | 41°F (5°C) | 22°F (-6°C) | 31°F (0°C) | 4.0" | 21.9" | 23.1 | 0.0 |
| March | 48°F (9°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 5.3" | 16.0" | 18.9 | 0.0 |
| April | 60°F (16°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 4.8" | 5.3" | 9.0 | 0.0 |
| May | 68°F (20°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 58°F (15°C) | 5.8" | 0.0" | 1.1 | 0.0 |
| June | 74°F (23°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 5.2" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| July | 78°F (25°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 69°F (20°C) | 6.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| August | 77°F (25°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 4.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| September | 72°F (22°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 4.2" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| October | 63°F (17°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 53°F (11°C) | 3.6" | 1.1" | 5.4 | 0.0 |
| November | 51°F (11°C) | 33°F (0°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 3.9" | 7.5" | 15.0 | 0.0 |
| December | 42°F (6°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 4.5" | 22.1" | 23.6 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 78°F around July 10, short of 90°F on every date, while 130 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 19°F near January 23.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 26, then returns to freezing around November 18, covering 130 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 January 9, when 47% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is September 3 at 25%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 133 wet dates a year.
The widest day
April 24 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 21°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Richwood.
Where Richwood Stands Nationally
This is one of the wettest normals climates ranked: about 56 inches of precipitation in a normal year, a total fewer than one station in ten surpasses.
Among the steadiest day-night climates ranked: even the widest normal daily swing holds to roughly 21°F.
Richwood earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 26.1"
15.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 21.9"
12.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 16.0"
12.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.3"
10.6 days with precipitation
12.0 days with precipitation
11.4 days with precipitation
11.0 days with precipitation
8.7 days with precipitation
8.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.1"
8.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 7.5"
9.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 22.1"
12.8 days with precipitation
Richwood spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 28% of the annual total and December through February 23%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Richwood has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 40°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: July averages 6.0" and October 3.6". The three wettest months together take 31% 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 Richwood, it arrives in quantity
55.8" of precipitation falls across only about 133 wet days here, averaging 0.42 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 133 a year, 36% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.42 inches
- Most wet days
- January, about 15
- Fewest wet days
- October, 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 Richwood
Richwood averages 100.0 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 31 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: 100.0 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 31 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 18% 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
October 18
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 30
50% probability date
Growing Season
171 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
5,873
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
395
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside WV closest to Richwood 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 (50°F here).
- Cedar Rapids, IA 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Centerville, IA 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Chalmers, IN 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Coulee Dam, WA 50°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (55.8" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Clarksdale, MS 55.9" · 0.0" off
- Fort Pierce, FL 55.9" · 0.0" off
- Independence, MS 55.9" · 0.1" off
- Covington, TN 55.8" · 0.1" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Richwood
heating led · wet · mid swing
Richwood's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 5,873 annual heating degree days against 395 for cooling. Its 40.0°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Richwood's frost-free season lasts about 171 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Richwood coldest normal
January
The monthly mean of 29°F (-2°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Richwood typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Richwood snow peak
January
Richwood averages 100.0 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Richwood's climate
How much snow does Richwood get? ▼
How cold does Richwood get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Richwood? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Richwood's primary station: RICHWOOD 1SSE (USC00467513). 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 5468116). Match rule for Richwood: 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 Richwood 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.