Climate · Petersburg

Petersburg, WV climate

Petersburg has chilly winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 21 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
88°
10th hottest of 438 West Virginia towns
January low
22°
127th coldest of 438 West Virginia towns
Rain + melted snow
37 in
1st driest of 438 West Virginia towns
Snow a winter
21 in
177th least snowy of 432 West Virginia towns
A normal year

What a year in Petersburg feels like

Winter

46° / 24°
Typical high / low · 6 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

67° / 40°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Apr 23

Summer

86° / 60°
Typical high / low · 30 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

68° / 42°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 20
Best months to be outsideMaySepOctHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Petersburg weather by month

Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet days30-yr range
January43°22°2.4" 6.6"8 24° – 40°
February47°24°2.3" 4.9"7 26° – 45°
March56°30°3.1" 4.2"9 36° – 54°
April68°40°3.1" 011 48° – 58°
May76°49°4.0" 012 57° – 69°
June84°57°3.8" 011 67° – 74°
July88°62°3.8" 010 70° – 78°
August86°60°3.6" 010 70° – 77°
September80°53°3.3" 08 64° – 72°
October69°41°2.5" 08 52° – 60°
November57°32°2.2" 0.8"7 38° – 50°
December46°26°2.5" 4.9"8 26° – 45°
Year67°41°36.5"21.4"108

“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 & snow

Rain and snow in Petersburg

Petersburg gets 37 inches of rain and melted snow a year. May is the wettest month and November the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 108 days a year.

37 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 61% of U.S. towns
21 in
Snow in a normal winter
Less snow than 55% of U.S. towns
108 days
With rain or snow (0.01"+)

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
4.0"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
6.6"
Frost & the growing season

About 179 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first one by October 20. That leaves about 179 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 51% of U.S. towns.

124
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
2
nights below 0° in a normal year
30
days that reach 90° in a normal year

Freezing nights by month

Average nights at or below 32°

90° days by month

Average days at 90° or more
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Petersburg

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Petersburg, 82% of that work is heating and 18% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

82%heating
4,795 heating degree daysLess heating than 70% of U.S. towns
1,060 cooling degree daysMore cooling than 63% of U.S. towns

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.

Compared with other towns

How Petersburg compares

Summer heat88° July high
Hotter than 70% of U.S. towns10th hottest of 438 West Virginia towns
Winter cold22° January low
Milder than 64% of U.S. towns127th coldest of 438 West Virginia towns
Precipitation37" a year
Drier than 61% of U.S. towns1st driest of 438 West Virginia towns
Snow21" a winter
Less snow than 55% of U.S. towns177th least snowy of 432 West Virginia towns
Growing season179 frost-free days
Longer than 51% of U.S. towns146th shortest of 438 West Virginia towns
West Virginia climate rankingsSnowiest, mildest, wettest and more in WV →

Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.

Then and now

Warmer than it used to be

+0.9°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Petersburg averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.9°). The shift is smaller than in 79% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+1.6° now 35°, was 33°
🌷 Spring+0.7° now 53°, was 52°
☀️ Summer+0.7° now 73°, was 72°
🍂 Fall+0.6° now 55°, was 55°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Petersburg’s spot on NOAA’s grid

Year to year

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 26° to 45°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Petersburg’s climate

What is the coldest month in Petersburg?

January, with a typical high of 43° and a low of 22°.

What is the hottest month in Petersburg?

July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 62°. About 30 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Petersburg get?

About 21 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.

When is the first frost in Petersburg?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 20, and the last spring frost by April 23.

What is the rainiest month in Petersburg?

May, with 4.0 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 37 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Petersburg itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Moorefield 1 Sse, WV (9 mi, snow) and Petersburg, 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.

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