Stearns, Kentucky climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Stearns's normal year runs from 24°F January nights to 85°F July afternoons, with 56.1 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 12.7°C, January lows of −5°C, July highs of 30°C, 1,424 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationStearns (2 mi S)
- Station IDUSC00157677
- Location36.67°N 84.48°W
- Elevation1,220 ft (372 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population (census place)1,509
On October 22, the normal high in Stearns is 67°F and the normal low 39°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 Stearns.
- Jan 45° 24°
- Feb 49° 26°
- Mar 59° 33°
- Apr 69° 41°
- May 77° 51°
- Jun 82° 59°
- Jul 85° 63°
- Aug 85° 62°
- Sep 80° 54°
- Oct 69° 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 Stearns each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 85°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 24°F. The most precipitation falls in July (6.12 in), the least in October (3.27 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45°F | 24°F | 34.5°F | 4.78 | 11 | <1 | 25 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 49°F | 26°F | 37.1°F | 4.46 | 11 | <1 | 21 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 59°F | 33°F | 45.7°F | 5.17 | 11 | <1 | 16 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 69°F | 41°F | 54.7°F | 4.69 | 10 | <1 | 8 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 77°F | 51°F | 63.6°F | 5.51 | 11 | <1 | 1 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 82°F | 59°F | 70.5°F | 5.25 | 9 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 85°F | 63°F | 74.4°F | 6.12 | 11 | 7 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 85°F | 62°F | 73.1°F | 3.67 | 8 | 5 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 80°F | 54°F | 67.0°F | 3.65 | 8 | 1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 69°F | 42°F | 55.4°F | 3.27 | 8 | <1 | 7 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 58°F | 32°F | 44.8°F | 3.76 | 8 | <1 | 18 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 48°F | 27°F | 37.6°F | 5.75 | 11 | <1 | 23 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 67°F | 43°F | 54.9°F | 56.08 | 116 | 16 | 119 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7°C | −5°C | 1.4°C | 121 mm |
| February | 9°C | −4°C | 2.8°C | 113 mm |
| March | 15°C | 0°C | 7.6°C | 131 mm |
| April | 21°C | 5°C | 12.6°C | 119 mm |
| May | 25°C | 10°C | 17.6°C | 140 mm |
| June | 28°C | 15°C | 21.4°C | 133 mm |
| July | 30°C | 17°C | 23.6°C | 155 mm |
| August | 29°C | 16°C | 22.8°C | 93 mm |
| September | 26°C | 12°C | 19.4°C | 93 mm |
| October | 21°C | 5°C | 13.0°C | 83 mm |
| November | 14°C | 0°C | 7.1°C | 96 mm |
| December | 9°C | −3°C | 3.1°C | 146 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Oneida (12 miles away), gets 6 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00157677; 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 Stearns?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, August, September and October. Of those, October has the fewest days with rain (8).
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 USC00157677.
When is the last frost in Stearns?
In Stearns, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 24 in half of years and after May 11 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 18 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 241 year in 10 after May 11; 9 in 10 after April 8
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 181 year in 10 before October 4; 9 in 10 before November 2
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 177 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 200 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 10 in half of springs and before October 29 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Stearns in zone 7a in ZIP code 42638, 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 USC00157677; 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 Stearns?
In a normal year in Stearns, 16 days a year reach 90°F, 119 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 116 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 16a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 119a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 11high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 116a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1936) is 102°F, on July 1, 2012; the lowest is −24°F, on January 21, 1985.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1989, with 68.72 in; the snowiest season is 2010–11, with 32.2 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00157677; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00157677. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Stearns?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Stearns, 4.2 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (79%) and February the cloudiest (61%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 63% | 2.2 |
| February | 61% | 2.8 |
| March | 66% | 3.9 |
| April | 72% | 5.2 |
| May | 73% | 5.7 |
| June | 78% | 6.2 |
| July | 76% | 5.9 |
| August | 79% | 5.5 |
| September | 77% | 4.7 |
| October | 74% | 3.6 |
| November | 73% | 2.6 |
| December | 63% | 1.9 |
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 Stearns need?
A normal year in Stearns brings 4,615 heating degree days, 14% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 948 cooling degree days, 4% 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 3,583 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 947 | 0 |
| February | 783 | 0 |
| March | 599 | 0 |
| April | 322 | 14 |
| May | 115 | 70 |
| June | 21 | 188 |
| July | 1 | 291 |
| August | 4 | 255 |
| September | 56 | 115 |
| October | 312 | 14 |
| November | 607 | 1 |
| December | 849 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,615 | 948 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00157677. 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 Stearns's climate compare?
Stearns is warmer than 15 of the other 67 places with their own NOAA record in Kentucky, and wetter than 57. 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, Stearns 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 Stearns 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.
- Pine Knot, KY1,358 people · 2 mi E
- Winfield, TN1,020 people · 8 mi S
- Whitley City, KY782 people · 3 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 Stearns's climate
What is the coldest month in Stearns?
January, with a normal high of 45°F and a normal low of 24°F. The warmest is July (85°F by day, 63°F at night).
Does it snow in Stearns?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Stearns's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Oneida (12 miles away), records 6 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Stearns?
July, with 6.12 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is October with 3.27 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Stearns in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Stearns in zone 7a in ZIP code 42638, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Stearns?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 24; 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
- Kentucky climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Oneida, TN12 miles from this station, 55.1°F a year
- Williamsburg, KY19 miles from this station, 55.6°F a year
- Newcomb, TN19 miles from this station, 56.0°F a year
- Pickett State Park, TN19 miles from this station, 54.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made