Shelbyville, Kentucky climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Shelbyville's normal year runs from 20°F January nights to 88°F July afternoons, with 49.8 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 11.9°C, January lows of −6°C, July highs of 31°C, 1,265 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationShelbyville (1 mi E)
- Station IDUSC00157324
- Location38.20°N 85.20°W
- Elevation730 ft (223 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population18,048
On October 23, the normal high in Shelbyville is 67°F and the normal low 38°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 25%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Shelbyville.
- Jan 42° 20°
- Feb 47° 21°
- Mar 57° 29°
- Apr 68° 38°
- May 77° 49°
- Jun 85° 58°
- Jul 88° 62°
- Aug 87° 58°
- Sep 81° 50°
- Oct 69° 40°
- Nov 57° 30°
- Dec 46° 24°
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 Shelbyville each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 88°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 20°F. The most precipitation falls in June (5.24 in), the least in September (3.45 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42°F | 20°F | 31.0°F | 4.15 | 11 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 47°F | 21°F | 34.2°F | 3.78 | 8 | <1 | 23 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 57°F | 29°F | 42.8°F | 4.65 | 11 | <1 | 23 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 68°F | 38°F | 52.7°F | 4.03 | 11 | <1 | 10 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 77°F | 49°F | 63.1°F | 5.17 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 85°F | 58°F | 71.8°F | 5.24 | 11 | 7 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 88°F | 62°F | 74.9°F | 4.10 | 9 | 12 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 87°F | 58°F | 72.7°F | 3.69 | 7 | 10 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 81°F | 50°F | 65.7°F | 3.45 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 69°F | 40°F | 54.9°F | 3.51 | 7 | <1 | 11 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 57°F | 30°F | 43.1°F | 3.52 | 9 | <1 | 19 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 46°F | 24°F | 34.9°F | 4.53 | 11 | <1 | 25 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 67°F | 40°F | 53.5°F | 49.82 | 115 | 34 | 139 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5°C | −6°C | −0.6°C | 105 mm |
| February | 8°C | −6°C | 1.2°C | 96 mm |
| March | 14°C | −2°C | 6.0°C | 118 mm |
| April | 20°C | 3°C | 11.5°C | 102 mm |
| May | 25°C | 10°C | 17.3°C | 131 mm |
| June | 30°C | 15°C | 22.1°C | 133 mm |
| July | 31°C | 17°C | 23.8°C | 104 mm |
| August | 31°C | 15°C | 22.6°C | 94 mm |
| September | 27°C | 10°C | 18.7°C | 88 mm |
| October | 21°C | 5°C | 12.7°C | 89 mm |
| November | 14°C | −1°C | 6.2°C | 89 mm |
| December | 8°C | −4°C | 1.6°C | 115 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Louisville Weather Office (25 miles away), gets 15 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00157324; 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 Shelbyville?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, September and October. Of those, October has the fewest days with rain (7).
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 USC00157324.
When is the last frost in Shelbyville?
In Shelbyville, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 1 in half of years and after May 15 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 10 in half of years and before September 24 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
- May 11 year in 10 after May 15; 9 in 10 after April 19
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 101 year in 10 before September 24; 9 in 10 before October 25
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 161 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 179 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 24 in half of springs and before October 21 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Shelbyville in zone 6b in ZIP code 40065, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Kentucky · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00157324; 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 Shelbyville?
In a normal year in Shelbyville, 34 days a year reach 90°F, 139 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 115 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 34a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 139a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 16high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 115a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1893) is 112°F, on July 28, 1930; the lowest is −37°F, on January 19, 1994.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1950, with 73.26 in; the snowiest season is 1939–40, with 35.8 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00157324; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00157324. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Shelbyville?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Shelbyville, 4.0 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (81%) and December the cloudiest (61%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 61% | 1.9 |
| February | 62% | 2.6 |
| March | 66% | 3.7 |
| April | 72% | 5.0 |
| May | 72% | 5.5 |
| June | 80% | 6.3 |
| July | 79% | 6.0 |
| August | 81% | 5.5 |
| September | 79% | 4.6 |
| October | 74% | 3.3 |
| November | 70% | 2.3 |
| December | 61% | 1.7 |
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 Shelbyville need?
A normal year in Shelbyville brings 5,147 heating degree days, 4% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 976 cooling degree days, 8% 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 3,491 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,054 | 0 |
| February | 862 | 0 |
| March | 690 | 2 |
| April | 383 | 12 |
| May | 134 | 75 |
| June | 16 | 218 |
| July | 1 | 309 |
| August | 6 | 245 |
| September | 80 | 100 |
| October | 330 | 15 |
| November | 659 | 1 |
| December | 933 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,147 | 976 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00157324. 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 Shelbyville's climate compare?
Shelbyville is warmer than 2 of the other 67 places with their own NOAA record in Kentucky, and wetter than 21. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 53.5°F is warmer than 55%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Shelbyville is Dfa: continental, 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 Shelbyville 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.
- Simpsonville, KY3,119 people · 8 mi W
- Eminence, KY2,787 people · 11 mi N
- Pleasureville, KY799 people · 11 mi NE
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 Shelbyville's climate
What is the coldest month in Shelbyville?
January, with a normal high of 42°F and a normal low of 20°F. The warmest is July (88°F by day, 62°F at night).
Does it snow in Shelbyville?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Shelbyville's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Louisville Weather Office (25 miles away), records 15 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Shelbyville?
June, with 5.24 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is September with 3.45 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Shelbyville in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Shelbyville in zone 6b in ZIP code 40065, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Shelbyville?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 1; in one year in ten it comes after May 15. Waiting until May 15 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Kentucky climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Taylorsville, KY15 miles from this station, 55.9°F a year
- Frankfort, KY16 miles from this station, 56.5°F a year
- Crestwood, KY16 miles from this station, 55.2°F a year
- Louisville Bowman Field, KY25 miles from this station, 57.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made