30-year climate normals

Harlan County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — July

85.0°

average daily high. The coldest month is January, averaging a low of 25.9°F.

Harlan County gets 52.21" of precipitation a year, and 28% of it falls in Mar, Apr, May.

Temperature through the year

Each bar spans the average daily low to the average daily high for that month.

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Precip
January	45.2°	25.9°	4.08"
February	49.1°	28.5°	4.28"
March	57.9°	34.0°	5.01"
April	68.4°	42.3°	4.85"
May	75.7°	52.4°	4.74"
June	82.3°	61.0°	4.73"
July	85.0°	65.0°	4.77"
August	84.5°	63.8°	4.46"
September	79.5°	57.3°	3.47"
October	69.7°	45.1°	3.18"
November	57.9°	34.1°	3.60"
December	48.6°	29.4°	5.04"

Rainfall by month

Precipitation is spread fairly evenly through the year here, with 28% falling in the wettest three months (Mar, Apr, May).

January 4.08"

February 4.28"

March 5.01"

April 4.85"

May 4.74"

June 4.73"

July 4.77"

August 4.46"

September 3.47"

October 3.18"

November 3.60"

December 5.04"

Annual total 52.21"

What this climate costs you

Degree days measure how hard a building has to work to stay comfortable. They are the reason two identical houses have very different power bills, and they are the link between the weather here and what you pay every month.

Cooling degree days How much air conditioning the climate demands 1,051

Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 4,324

Approximate annual cooling cost At 14.98¢/kWh, Kentucky average $157

Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $227

These are rough planning figures from degree days and the state electricity price, not a bill estimate. House size, insulation and fuel type move them a lot. See the full cost of owning a home in Harlan County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Harlan County?

Harlan County averages a high of 85.0°F in July and a low of 25.9°F in January. Annual precipitation is 52.21 inches, with essentially no snow.

When is the rainy season in Harlan County?

The wettest stretch is Mar, Apr, May, which accounts for 28% of the year's precipitation. Precipitation is relatively evenly distributed across the year.

How hot does it get in Harlan County?

The average daily high in July, the hottest month, is 85.0°F. That drives 1,051 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Harlan County?

Effectively no. Measurable snowfall is rare in Harlan County.

Sources

Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station BAXTER, KY US (USC00150450), 6 miles from the county centroid.
Heating and cooling degree days — NOAA, same station and period.
Electricity price — US Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, Kentucky residential average.
Wet-season share is the wettest three consecutive months as a percentage of annual precipitation, calculated from the monthly normals.