Pickens, WV climate
Pickens has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 77°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 71 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Pickens feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Pickens 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 | 36° | 20° | 4.8" | 22.9" | 20 | 15 | 20° – 37° |
| February | 40° | 22° | 4.6" | 16.1" | 17 | 10 | 19° – 40° |
| March | 48° | 29° | 5.2" | 11.6" | 17 | 6 | 31° – 48° |
| April | 60° | 38° | 5.1" | 1.9" | 15 | 1 | 42° – 54° |
| May | 68° | 47° | 6.3" | 0 | 17 | 0 | 51° – 65° |
| June | 74° | 55° | 6.0" | 0 | 16 | 0 | 60° – 68° |
| July | 77° | 59° | 6.5" | 0 | 15 | 0 | 63° – 71° |
| August | 76° | 58° | 5.0" | 0 | 13 | 0 | 64° – 71° |
| September | 71° | 52° | 4.4" | 0 | 12 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| October | 61° | 41° | 4.2" | 0.3" | 12 | 0 | 48° – 56° |
| November | 49° | 31° | 4.1" | 4.0" | 13 | 3 | 34° – 46° |
| December | 41° | 24° | 5.2" | 14.0" | 18 | 10 | 21° – 44° |
| Year | 58° | 40° | 61.5" | 70.8" | 184 | 45 |
“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 Pickens
Pickens gets 61 inches of rain and melted snow a year. July is the wettest month and November the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 184 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 45 days of the year.
About 176 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 25 and the first one by October 19. That leaves about 176 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 53% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Pickens
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Pickens, 94% of that work is heating and 6% 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 Pickens 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 Pickens averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.7°). The shift is larger than in 54% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Pickens’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 21° to 44°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Common questions about Pickens’s climate
What is the coldest month in Pickens?
January, with a typical high of 36° and a low of 20°.
What is the hottest month in Pickens?
July, with a typical high of 77° and a low of 59°.
How much snow does Pickens get?
About 71 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.
When is the first frost in Pickens?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 19, and the last spring frost by April 25.
What is the rainiest month in Pickens?
July, with 6.5 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 61 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Pickens itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Hacker Valley, WV (9 mi, snow) and Pickens 2 N, WV (2 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.