Paducah, Kentucky climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Paducah's normal year runs from 27°F January nights to 90°F July afternoons, with 50.3 inches of precipitation and 9 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 14.9°C, January lows of −3°C, July highs of 32°C, 1,278 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationPaducah Barkley Regional Airport
- Station IDUSW00003816
- Location37.07°N 88.77°W
- Elevation392 ft (120 m)
- Population26,712
On October 23, the normal high in Paducah is 69°F and the normal low 45°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 27%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Paducah.
- Jan 45° 27°
- Feb 50° 31°
- Mar 60° 38°
- Apr 70° 48°
- May 79° 58°
- Jun 87° 66°
- Jul 90° 69°
- Aug 90° 67°
- Sep 83° 59°
- Oct 72° 48°
- Nov 59° 38°
- Dec 48° 31°
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 Paducah each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 90°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 27°F. The most precipitation falls in April (5.17 in), the least in August (3.11 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45°F | 27°F | 36.0°F | 3.85 | 2.7 | 10 | <1 | 22 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 50°F | 31°F | 40.1°F | 3.94 | 3.0 | 9 | <1 | 17 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 60°F | 38°F | 49.0°F | 4.64 | 1.1 | 11 | <1 | 10 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 70°F | 48°F | 59.0°F | 5.17 | 0.0 | 11 | <1 | 2 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 79°F | 58°F | 68.4°F | 4.87 | 0.0 | 12 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 87°F | 66°F | 76.5°F | 4.51 | 0.0 | 9 | 11 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 90°F | 69°F | 79.7°F | 4.30 | 0.0 | 9 | 17 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 90°F | 67°F | 78.2°F | 3.11 | 0.0 | 8 | 14 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 83°F | 59°F | 71.0°F | 3.55 | 0.0 | 7 | 7 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 72°F | 48°F | 59.7°F | 3.99 | 0.1 | 8 | <1 | 2 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 59°F | 38°F | 48.0°F | 4.09 | 0.2 | 10 | <1 | 11 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 48°F | 31°F | 39.5°F | 4.30 | 1.8 | 10 | <1 | 19 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 69°F | 48°F | 58.8°F | 50.32 | 8.9 | 114 | 50 | 83 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7°C | −3°C | 2.2°C | 98 mm | 7 cm |
| February | 10°C | −1°C | 4.5°C | 100 mm | 8 cm |
| March | 15°C | 3°C | 9.4°C | 118 mm | 3 cm |
| April | 21°C | 9°C | 15.0°C | 131 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 26°C | 14°C | 20.2°C | 124 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 31°C | 19°C | 24.7°C | 115 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 32°C | 21°C | 26.5°C | 109 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 32°C | 19°C | 25.7°C | 79 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 28°C | 15°C | 21.7°C | 90 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 22°C | 9°C | 15.4°C | 101 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 15°C | 3°C | 8.9°C | 104 mm | 1 cm |
| December | 9°C | −1°C | 4.2°C | 109 mm | 5 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00003816; 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 Paducah?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, September and October. Of those, September 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 USW00003816.
When is the last frost in Paducah?
In Paducah, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 5 in half of years and after April 21 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 28 in half of years and before October 15 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 51 year in 10 after April 21; 9 in 10 after March 19
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 281 year in 10 before October 15; 9 in 10 before November 10
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 206 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 229 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 24 in half of springs and before November 7 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Paducah in zone 7a in ZIP code 42001. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Paducah's NOAA station is in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 4°F (30 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Kentucky · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00003816; 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 Paducah?
In a normal year in Paducah, 50 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 83 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 114 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 50a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 83a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 11high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 114a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 2a normal year
The highest temperature in Paducah's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1937) is 108°F, on June 29, 2012; the lowest is −15°F, on January 20, 1985.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2011, with 74.85 in; the snowiest season is 1977–78, with 35.7 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00003816; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record PAHthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Paducah, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 67°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 68°F, above the 65°F at which most people call the air sticky; the driest air comes in January (27°F). February is the windiest month (8.7 mph on average), and September has the most clear or nearly clear hours (76%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27°F | 68% | 54% | 8.0 mph | 52% | 38% |
| February | 32°F | 65% | 50% | 8.7 mph | 51% | 37% |
| March | 41°F | 62% | 46% | 8.3 mph | 59% | 28% |
| April | 51°F | 67% | 50% | 7.5 mph | 57% | 26% |
| May | 62°F | 71% | 53% | 6.1 mph | 64% | 17% |
| June | 67°F | 72% | 54% | 5.4 mph | 71% | 9% |
| July | 68°F | 74% | 53% | 4.5 mph | 75% | 9% |
| August | 66°F | 73% | 51% | 4.7 mph | 74% | 10% |
| September | 54°F | 69% | 44% | 5.5 mph | 76% | 14% |
| October | 43°F | 68% | 48% | 6.6 mph | 61% | 29% |
| November | 34°F | 69% | 55% | 7.6 mph | 56% | 35% |
| December | 29°F | 72% | 60% | 7.8 mph | 48% | 45% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00003816. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Paducah?
Over a year 75% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Paducah, 4.2 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (83%) and December the cloudiest (64%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 64% | 2.1 |
| February | 64% | 2.8 |
| March | 67% | 3.8 |
| April | 73% | 5.1 |
| May | 74% | 5.7 |
| June | 82% | 6.5 |
| July | 83% | 6.3 |
| August | 83% | 5.7 |
| September | 81% | 4.8 |
| October | 76% | 3.5 |
| November | 72% | 2.5 |
| December | 64% | 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 Paducah need?
A normal year in Paducah brings 3,925 heating degree days, 27% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,683 cooling degree days, 85% more than the median (908). Five months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 4,692 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 899 | 0 |
| February | 698 | 1 |
| March | 504 | 8 |
| April | 221 | 41 |
| May | 55 | 160 |
| June | 2 | 348 |
| July | 0 | 454 |
| August | 0 | 408 |
| September | 28 | 209 |
| October | 213 | 49 |
| November | 515 | 5 |
| December | 791 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 3,925 | 1,683 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00003816. 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 Paducah been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 59.5°F, 0.7°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 58.8°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 59.5°F | +0.7°F | 49.38 | 14.0 |
| 2022 | 58.7°F | −0.1°F | 45.10 | 12.4 |
| 2023 | 60.7°F | +1.9°F | 55.83 | 1.8 |
| 2024 | 61.7°F | +2.9°F | 58.52 | 2.2 |
| 2025 | 59.5°F | +0.7°F | 53.99 | 9.9 |
Over 74 complete years from 1950 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 5.2°F per century (+0.29°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00003816; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Paducah's climate compare?
Paducah is warmer than 61 of the other 67 places with their own NOAA record in Kentucky, and wetter than 26. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 58.8°F is warmer than 71%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Paducah 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 Paducah share this climate record?
2 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.
- Metropolis, IL5,776 people · 7 mi NE
- Joppa, IL333 people · 11 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.
What do Paducah's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Paducah. This page uses Paducah Barkley Regional Airport; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Paducah (2 mi W) USC00158555 | in town | 413 ft | 58.2°F | 26°F | 89°F | 50.8 | – | April 3 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Paducah's climate
What is the coldest month in Paducah?
January, with a normal high of 45°F and a normal low of 27°F. The warmest is July (90°F by day, 69°F at night).
Does it snow in Paducah?
Yes: 9 inches in a normal year, falling on 7 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (3.0 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Paducah?
April, with 5.17 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is August with 3.11 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Paducah in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Paducah in zone 7a in ZIP code 42001. By the same method at Paducah's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 4°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 7a.
How late can frost come in Paducah?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 5; in one year in ten it comes after April 21. Waiting until April 21 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Paducah in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Kentucky climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Brookport, IL7 miles from this station, 57.3°F a year
- Grand Chain Dam 53, IL17 miles from this station, 57.9°F a year
- Bardwell, KY18 miles from this station, 58.2°F a year
- Smithland Lock and Dam, IL20 miles from this station, 57.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made