Ripley, West Virginia climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Ripley's normal year runs from 22°F January nights to 88°F July afternoons, with 46.0 inches of precipitation and 12 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 12.7°C, January lows of −6°C, July highs of 31°C, 1,169 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationRipley
- Station IDUSC00467552
- Location38.82°N 81.71°W
- Elevation608 ft (185 m)
- Population3,067
On October 23, the normal high in Ripley is 68°F and the normal low 39°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 32%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Ripley.
- Jan 44° 22°
- Feb 48° 24°
- Mar 57° 30°
- Apr 70° 40°
- May 78° 50°
- Jun 85° 59°
- Jul 88° 63°
- Aug 87° 62°
- Sep 82° 55°
- Oct 70° 42°
- Nov 58° 32°
- Dec 48° 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 Ripley each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 88°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 22°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.95 in), the least in November (2.99 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44°F | 22°F | 32.8°F | 3.14 | 6.3 | 13 | <1 | 24 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 48°F | 24°F | 35.8°F | 3.26 | 1.4 | 12 | <1 | 22 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 57°F | 30°F | 43.7°F | 4.23 | 1.4 | 13 | <1 | 18 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 70°F | 40°F | 54.7°F | 3.77 | 0.0 | 13 | <1 | 7 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 78°F | 50°F | 63.9°F | 4.44 | 0.0 | 13 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 85°F | 59°F | 71.7°F | 4.95 | 0.0 | 12 | 4 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 88°F | 63°F | 75.8°F | 4.88 | 0.0 | 11 | 9 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 87°F | 62°F | 74.3°F | 3.85 | 0.0 | 10 | 7 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 82°F | 55°F | 68.1°F | 3.75 | 0.0 | 9 | 3 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 70°F | 42°F | 56.1°F | 3.12 | 0.0 | 9 | <1 | 4 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 58°F | 32°F | 45.1°F | 2.99 | 0.2 | 10 | <1 | 16 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 48°F | 27°F | 37.2°F | 3.66 | 2.3 | 13 | <1 | 22 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 68°F | 42°F | 54.9°F | 46.04 | 11.6 | 139 | 25 | 113 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7°C | −6°C | 0.4°C | 80 mm | 16 cm |
| February | 9°C | −5°C | 2.1°C | 83 mm | 4 cm |
| March | 14°C | −1°C | 6.5°C | 107 mm | 4 cm |
| April | 21°C | 4°C | 12.6°C | 96 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 25°C | 10°C | 17.7°C | 113 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 29°C | 15°C | 22.1°C | 126 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 31°C | 17°C | 24.3°C | 124 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 31°C | 16°C | 23.5°C | 98 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 28°C | 13°C | 20.1°C | 95 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 21°C | 6°C | 13.4°C | 79 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 15°C | 0°C | 7.3°C | 76 mm | 1 cm |
| December | 9°C | −3°C | 2.9°C | 93 mm | 6 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00467552; 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 Ripley?
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 (9).
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 USC00467552.
When is the last frost in Ripley?
In Ripley, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 23 in half of years and after May 11 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 21 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 11; 9 in 10 after April 10
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 211 year in 10 before October 8; 9 in 10 before November 2
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 178 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 202 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 10 in half of springs and before October 31 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Ripley in zone 6b in ZIP code 25271, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Ripley's NOAA station is in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 0°F (25 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in West Virginia · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00467552; 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 Ripley?
In a normal year in Ripley, 25 days a year reach 90°F, 113 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 139 days bring measurable precipitation.
- 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
- 113a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 17high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 139a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 5a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1941) is 107°F, on July 16, 1988; the lowest is −28°F, on January 20, 1994.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1972, with 61.79 in; the snowiest season is 1963–64, with 51.6 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00467552; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00467552. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Ripley?
Over a year 71% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Ripley, 3.9 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (78%) and January the cloudiest (57%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 57% | 1.8 |
| February | 59% | 2.5 |
| March | 64% | 3.6 |
| April | 69% | 4.9 |
| May | 71% | 5.5 |
| June | 77% | 6.1 |
| July | 76% | 5.8 |
| August | 78% | 5.4 |
| September | 77% | 4.5 |
| October | 70% | 3.2 |
| November | 69% | 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 Ripley need?
A normal year in Ripley brings 4,749 heating degree days, 12% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,109 cooling degree days, 22% 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 3,759 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,000 | 0 |
| February | 818 | 0 |
| March | 663 | 2 |
| April | 327 | 17 |
| May | 120 | 86 |
| June | 14 | 215 |
| July | 0 | 335 |
| August | 2 | 292 |
| September | 50 | 141 |
| October | 297 | 21 |
| November | 597 | 1 |
| December | 863 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,749 | 1,109 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00467552. 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 Ripley been warmer than normal lately?
Over 48 complete years from 1948 to 2019, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 3.1°F per century (+0.17°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Ripley's climate compare?
Ripley is warmer than 52 of the other 62 places with their own NOAA record in West Virginia, and wetter than 22. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 54.9°F is warmer than 60%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Ripley 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.
Which places near Ripley share this climate record?
3 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.
- Ravenswood, WV3,821 people · 10 mi N
- Racine, OH659 people · 15 mi NW
- Cottageville, WV257 people · 7 mi NW
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 Ripley's climate
What is the coldest month in Ripley?
January, with a normal high of 44°F and a normal low of 22°F. The warmest is July (88°F by day, 63°F at night).
Does it snow in Ripley?
Yes: 12 inches in a normal year, falling on 7 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (6.3 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Ripley?
June, with 4.95 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is November with 2.99 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Ripley in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Ripley in zone 6b in ZIP code 25271, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Ripley's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 0°F (25 years, 1991-2020): zone 6b.
How late can frost come in Ripley?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 23; in one year in ten it comes after May 11. Waiting until May 11 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
- Sandyville (9 mi NE), WV14 miles from this station, 52.2°F a year
- Southside (3 mi NNW), WV15 miles from this station, 52.3°F a year
- Spencer, WV19 miles from this station, 52.3°F a year
- Sissonville, WV21 miles from this station, 52.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made