Cincinnati climate
Cincinnati (Ohio, United States) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 13 °C55 °F, and about 1,116 mm44 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Cincinnati climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 439 | −523 | −131 | 732.9 | 26 |
| Feb | 542 | −524 | 033 | 773.0 | 24 |
| Mar | 1253 | 033 | 643 | 1014.0 | 18 |
| Apr | 1966 | 643 | 1355 | 1114.4 | 4 |
| May | 2475 | 1254 | 1864 | 1184.6 | 0 |
| Jun | 2882 | 1763 | 2272 | 1064.2 | 0 |
| Jul | 3187 | 1966 | 2577 | 1054.1 | 0 |
| Aug | 3187 | 1865 | 2476 | 793.1 | 0 |
| Sep | 2781 | 1457 | 2169 | 823.2 | 0 |
| Oct | 2068 | 745 | 1456 | 923.6 | 2 |
| Nov | 1254 | 134 | 744 | 813.2 | 14 |
| Dec | 643 | −327 | 235 | 923.6 | 23 |
| Year | 3187 | −523 | 1355 | 1,11644 | 111 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 85% | 75% | 1.8 | 9:42 |
| Feb | 85% | 72% | 2.6 | 10:40 |
| Mar | 81% | 67% | 3.6 | 11:50 |
| Apr | 78% | 62% | 4.9 | 13:11 |
| May | 79% | 64% | 5.5 | 14:18 |
| Jun | 77% | 54% | 6.2 | 14:54 |
| Jul | 74% | 51% | 6.1 | 14:39 |
| Aug | 69% | 48% | 5.5 | 13:41 |
| Sep | 68% | 45% | 4.6 | 12:23 |
| Oct | 72% | 56% | 3.2 | 11:06 |
| Nov | 78% | 60% | 2.2 | 9:58 |
| Dec | 85% | 74% | 1.5 | 9:26 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Cincinnati is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 31 °C87 °F and a low of 19 °C66 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 4 °C39 °F and lows −5 °C23 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 25.5 °C45.9 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,116 mm44 in of precipitation per year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is May (118 mm4.6 in), the driest is January (73 mm2.9 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 68% in September to 85% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 45%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 1 km/h (1 mph) in August to 3 km/h (2 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 9.4 hours in December to 14.9 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in January and February, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 14 cm).
Best time to visit Cincinnati
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are September: average highs of 27 °C81 °F to 27 °C81 °F with 82 mm3.2 in to 82 mm3.2 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 4 °C39 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Cincinnati
- Winter (December–February) — highs 439 to 6 °C43 °F, lows −523 to −3 °C27 °F, about 81 mm3.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1253 to 24 °C75 °F, lows 033 to 12 °C54 °F, about 110 mm4.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2882 to 31 °C87 °F, lows 1763 to 19 °C66 °F, about 97 mm3.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1254 to 27 °C81 °F, lows 134 to 14 °C57 °F, about 85 mm3.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Cincinnati compares
Compared with Lexington-Fayette, about 120 km to the south, Cincinnati has practically the same average temperature and receives 9% less precipitation (1,116 mm44 in vs 1,231 mm48 in). The difference is largest in February (0.7 °C1.3 °F cooler).
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Cincinnati is the 141st warmest by annual mean temperature and the 89th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Maykop (Russia, Cfa), Kragujevac (Serbia, Cfa) and Čačak (Serbia, Cfa).
Nearby places
- Dayton 76 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,035 mm41 in
- Lexington-Fayette 120 km · 13 °C55 °F · 1,231 mm48 in
- Lexington 127 km · 13 °C55 °F · 1,231 mm48 in
- Louisville 145 km · 13 °C56 °F · 1,272 mm50 in
- Indianapolis 158 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,141 mm45 in
- Columbus 160 km · 11 °C52 °F · 986 mm39 in
- Meads 176 km · 13 °C56 °F · 1,093 mm43 in
- Fort Wayne 229 km · 10 °C51 °F · 966 mm38 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Cincinnati?
July is the warmest month in Cincinnati, with an average high of 31 °C (87 °F) and an average low of 19 °C (66 °F).
What is the coldest month in Cincinnati?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 4 °C (39 °F) and an average low of -5 °C (23 °F).
When does it rain the most in Cincinnati?
May is the wettest month with about 118 mm (4.6 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 73 mm (2.9 in).
What is the best time to visit Cincinnati?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.