Athens, WV climate
Athens has chilly winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 24 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Athens feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Athens weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 23° | 3.0" | 7.5" | 14 | 7 | 25° – 40° |
| February | 45° | 26° | 2.8" | 5.7" | 12 | 7 | 24° – 43° |
| March | 53° | 32° | 3.7" | 4.9" | 12 | 3 | 36° – 53° |
| April | 65° | 41° | 3.7" | 0.5" | 13 | 1 | 47° – 57° |
| May | 72° | 49° | 4.6" | 0 | 14 | 0 | 54° – 66° |
| June | 78° | 56° | 3.8" | 0 | 13 | 0 | 63° – 71° |
| July | 82° | 61° | 4.2" | 0 | 13 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| August | 80° | 60° | 3.5" | 0 | 11 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| September | 75° | 53° | 3.2" | 0 | 10 | 0 | 60° – 69° |
| October | 65° | 42° | 2.8" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 50° – 59° |
| November | 54° | 32° | 2.5" | 0.7" | 10 | 1 | 37° – 48° |
| December | 44° | 27° | 3.1" | 4.5" | 12 | 4 | 24° – 47° |
| Year | 63° | 42° | 40.8" | 23.9" | 141 | 22 |
“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.
Rain and snow in Athens
Athens gets 41 inches of rain and melted snow a year. May is the wettest month and November the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 141 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 22 days of the year.
About 161 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first one by October 10. That leaves about 161 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 70% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Athens
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Athens, 90% of that work is heating and 10% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.
Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.
How Athens compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Athens averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.7°). The shift is smaller than in 82% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Athens’s spot on NOAA’s grid
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. December swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 24° to 47°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Common questions about Athens’s climate
What is the coldest month in Athens?
January, with a typical high of 41° and a low of 23°.
What is the hottest month in Athens?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 61°. About 3 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Athens get?
About 24 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.
When is the first frost in Athens?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 10, and the last spring frost by April 30.
What is the rainiest month in Athens?
May, with 4.6 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 41 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Athens itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Princeton, WV (5 mi, snow) and Athens, WV (1 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.