Lexington climate
Lexington (Kentucky, United States) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 13 °C55 °F, and about 1,231 mm48 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Lexington climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 439 | −524 | 032 | 813.2 | 25 |
| Feb | 643 | −426 | 134 | 933.7 | 22 |
| Mar | 1254 | 134 | 744 | 1024.0 | 15 |
| Apr | 1966 | 744 | 1355 | 1214.8 | 3 |
| May | 2374 | 1355 | 1864 | 1295.1 | 0 |
| Jun | 2781 | 1763 | 2272 | 1074.2 | 0 |
| Jul | 2985 | 1967 | 2476 | 1275.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 3086 | 1965 | 2476 | 883.5 | 0 |
| Sep | 2781 | 1458 | 2169 | 903.5 | 0 |
| Oct | 2067 | 846 | 1457 | 993.9 | 2 |
| Nov | 1254 | 134 | 744 | 873.4 | 12 |
| Dec | 643 | −228 | 235 | 1074.2 | 22 |
| Year | 3086 | −524 | 1355 | 1,23148 | 101 |
“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 | 86% | 71% | 2.0 | 9:48 |
| Feb | 85% | 71% | 2.7 | 10:44 |
| Mar | 83% | 66% | 3.8 | 11:51 |
| Apr | 80% | 60% | 5.1 | 13:08 |
| May | 81% | 63% | 5.7 | 14:13 |
| Jun | 78% | 54% | 6.3 | 14:47 |
| Jul | 76% | 55% | 6.0 | 14:33 |
| Aug | 71% | 50% | 5.6 | 13:37 |
| Sep | 69% | 47% | 4.6 | 12:22 |
| Oct | 73% | 52% | 3.5 | 11:08 |
| Nov | 79% | 56% | 2.5 | 10:03 |
| Dec | 86% | 70% | 1.8 | 9:32 |
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 Lexington is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 29 °C85 °F and a low of 19 °C67 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 4 °C39 °F and lows −5 °C24 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 24.7 °C44.4 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,231 mm48 in of precipitation per year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is May (129 mm5.1 in), the driest is January (81 mm3.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 69% in September to 86% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 47%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in August to 10 km/h (6 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 9.5 hours in December to 14.8 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 12 cm).
Best time to visit Lexington
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 90 mm3.5 in to 90 mm3.5 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 Lexington
- Winter (December–February) — highs 439 to 6 °C43 °F, lows −524 to −2 °C28 °F, about 94 mm3.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes, shoes with good grip, as frost is common and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1254 to 23 °C74 °F, lows 134 to 13 °C55 °F, about 117 mm4.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2781 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 1763 to 19 °C67 °F, about 107 mm4.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1254 to 27 °C81 °F, lows 134 to 14 °C58 °F, about 92 mm3.6 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.
How Lexington compares
Compared with Louisville, about 116 km to the west, Lexington is on average 0.4 °C0.7 °F cooler and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in June (0.7 °C1.3 °F cooler).
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Lexington is the 138th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 55th 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 Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cfa).
Nearby places
- Lexington-Fayette 7 km · 13 °C55 °F · 1,231 mm48 in
- Louisville 116 km · 13 °C56 °F · 1,272 mm50 in
- Cincinnati 127 km · 13 °C55 °F · 1,116 mm44 in
- Meads 162 km · 13 °C56 °F · 1,093 mm43 in
- Dayton 198 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,035 mm41 in
- Knoxville 231 km · 15 °C60 °F · 1,308 mm52 in
- Indianapolis 246 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,141 mm45 in
- Charleston 252 km · 13 °C56 °F · 1,128 mm44 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Lexington?
July is the warmest month in Lexington, with an average high of 29 °C (85 °F) and an average low of 19 °C (67 °F).
What is the coldest month in Lexington?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 4 °C (39 °F) and an average low of -5 °C (24 °F).
When does it rain the most in Lexington?
May is the wettest month with about 129 mm (5.1 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 81 mm (3.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Lexington?
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.