Whitesburg, Kentucky climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Whitesburg's normal year runs from 24°F January nights to 82°F July afternoons, with 50.5 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 12.2°C, January lows of −4°C, July highs of 28°C, 1,284 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationWhitesburg (2 mi SE)
- Station IDUSC00158635
- Location37.10°N 82.80°W
- Elevation1,240 ft (378 m)
- Population1,625
On October 23, the normal high in Whitesburg is 66°F and the normal low 39°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Whitesburg.
- Jan 44° 24°
- Feb 49° 26°
- Mar 57° 32°
- Apr 68° 40°
- May 74° 50°
- Jun 79° 58°
- Jul 82° 64°
- Aug 81° 62°
- Sep 76° 55°
- Oct 68° 42°
- Nov 57° 32°
- Dec 47° 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 Whitesburg each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 82°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 24°F. The most precipitation falls in July (5.60 in), the least in October (2.98 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44°F | 24°F | 33.9°F | 4.04 | – | <1 | 24 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 49°F | 26°F | 37.5°F | 4.00 | – | <1 | 21 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 57°F | 32°F | 44.5°F | 4.59 | – | <1 | 17 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 68°F | 40°F | 54.0°F | 4.50 | – | <1 | 8 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 74°F | 50°F | 62.2°F | 4.93 | – | <1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 79°F | 58°F | 68.4°F | 4.64 | – | <1 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 82°F | 64°F | 72.7°F | 5.60 | – | 1 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 81°F | 62°F | 71.4°F | 4.38 | – | <1 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 76°F | 55°F | 65.8°F | 3.48 | – | <1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 68°F | 42°F | 54.9°F | 2.98 | – | <1 | 3 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 57°F | 32°F | 44.4°F | 3.08 | – | <1 | 19 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 47°F | 27°F | 37.1°F | 4.33 | – | <1 | 21 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 65°F | 43°F | 53.9°F | 50.55 | – | 2 | 113 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7°C | −4°C | 1.1°C | 103 mm |
| February | 9°C | −3°C | 3.1°C | 102 mm |
| March | 14°C | 0°C | 6.9°C | 117 mm |
| April | 20°C | 4°C | 12.2°C | 114 mm |
| May | 23°C | 10°C | 16.8°C | 125 mm |
| June | 26°C | 14°C | 20.2°C | 118 mm |
| July | 28°C | 18°C | 22.6°C | 142 mm |
| August | 27°C | 17°C | 21.9°C | 111 mm |
| September | 25°C | 13°C | 18.8°C | 88 mm |
| October | 20°C | 6°C | 12.7°C | 76 mm |
| November | 14°C | 0°C | 6.9°C | 78 mm |
| December | 8°C | −3°C | 2.8°C | 110 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Skyline (1 mi SE) (10 miles away), gets 17 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00158635; 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 Whitesburg?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, July, August, September and October.
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 USC00158635.
When is the last frost in Whitesburg?
In Whitesburg, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 21 in half of years and after May 6 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 22 in half of years and before October 9 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 211 year in 10 after May 6; 9 in 10 after April 7
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 221 year in 10 before October 9; 9 in 10 before November 3
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 183 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 206 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 8 in half of springs and before October 31 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Whitesburg in zone 7a in ZIP code 41858, 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 USC00158635; 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 Whitesburg?
In a normal year in Whitesburg, 2 days a year reach 90°F and 113 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 2a 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
- 14high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00158635.
How sunny is Whitesburg?
Over a year 71% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Whitesburg, 4.1 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (77%) and February the cloudiest (59%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 61% | 2.0 |
| February | 59% | 2.6 |
| March | 64% | 3.7 |
| April | 70% | 5.0 |
| May | 72% | 5.6 |
| June | 77% | 6.2 |
| July | 76% | 5.8 |
| August | 77% | 5.4 |
| September | 76% | 4.5 |
| October | 72% | 3.4 |
| November | 71% | 2.5 |
| December | 61% | 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 Whitesburg need?
A normal year in Whitesburg brings 4,734 heating degree days, 12% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 712 cooling degree days, 22% fewer 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 3,292 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 962 | 0 |
| February | 770 | 0 |
| March | 638 | 1 |
| April | 337 | 7 |
| May | 132 | 44 |
| June | 20 | 120 |
| July | 2 | 239 |
| August | 3 | 199 |
| September | 64 | 90 |
| October | 323 | 11 |
| November | 618 | 1 |
| December | 865 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,734 | 712 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00158635. 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 Whitesburg been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 55.7°F, 1.8°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 53.9°F. 3 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 54.2°F | +0.3°F | 54.27 |
| 2022 | 53.8°F | −0.1°F | 58.02 |
| 2023 | 55.1°F | +1.2°F | 43.89 |
| 2024 | 55.7°F | +1.8°F | 54.95 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00158635. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Whitesburg's climate compare?
Whitesburg is warmer than 6 of the other 67 places with their own NOAA record in Kentucky, and wetter than 27. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 53.9°F is warmer than 57%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Whitesburg 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 Whitesburg share this climate record?
6 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.
- Appalachia, VA1,376 people · 13 mi S
- Pound, VA840 people · 11 mi E
- Mayking, KY645 people · 3 mi NE
- Stonega, VA154 people · 10 mi S
- Osaka, VA86 people · 10 mi S
- Dunbar, VA51 people · 10 mi S
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 Whitesburg's climate
What is the coldest month in Whitesburg?
January, with a normal high of 44°F and a normal low of 24°F. The warmest is July (82°F by day, 64°F at night).
Does it snow in Whitesburg?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Whitesburg's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Skyline (1 mi SE) (10 miles away), records 17 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Whitesburg?
July, with 5.60 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is October with 2.98 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Whitesburg in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Whitesburg in zone 7a in ZIP code 41858, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Whitesburg?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 21; in one year in ten it comes after May 6. Waiting until May 6 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Kentucky climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Skyline (1 mi SE), KY11 miles from this station, 56.0°F a year
- Wise, VA16 miles from this station, 53.4°F a year
- Big Stone Gap, VA17 miles from this station, 54.5°F a year
- Clintwood, VA17 miles from this station, 52.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made