30-year climate normals

Ritchie County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — July

84.4°

average daily high. The coldest month is January, averaging a low of 20.8°F.

Ritchie County gets 47.26" of precipitation a year, and 32% of it falls in May, Jun, Jul.

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	40.2°	20.8°	3.57"
February	44.5°	22.6°	3.30"
March	54.1°	29.6°	4.06"
April	66.6°	38.5°	3.84"
May	75.2°	49.7°	4.89"
June	81.3°	58.4°	4.62"
July	84.4°	62.4°	5.43"
August	84.1°	60.7°	3.89"
September	78.2°	53.2°	3.55"
October	67.1°	40.6°	3.27"
November	55.5°	30.7°	3.02"
December	44.9°	25.4°	3.82"

Rainfall by month

Precipitation is spread fairly evenly through the year here, with 32% falling in the wettest three months (May, Jun, Jul).

January 3.57"

February 3.30"

March 4.06"

April 3.84"

May 4.89"

June 4.62"

July 5.43"

August 3.89"

September 3.55"

October 3.27"

November 3.02"

December 3.82"

Annual total 47.26"

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 844

Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 5,236

Approximate annual cooling cost At 16.8¢/kWh, West Virginia average $142

Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $308

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 Ritchie County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Ritchie County?

Ritchie County averages a high of 84.4°F in July and a low of 20.8°F in January. Annual precipitation is 47.26 inches, with essentially no snow.

When is the rainy season in Ritchie County?

The wettest stretch is May, Jun, Jul, which accounts for 32% of the year's precipitation. Precipitation is relatively evenly distributed across the year.

How hot does it get in Ritchie County?

The average daily high in July, the hottest month, is 84.4°F. That drives 844 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Ritchie County?

Effectively no. Measurable snowfall is rare in Ritchie County.

Sources

Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station HARRISVILLE, WV US (USC00463940), 3 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, West Virginia residential average.
Wet-season share is the wettest three consecutive months as a percentage of annual precipitation, calculated from the monthly normals.