Louisville climate
Louisville (Kentucky, United States) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 13 °C56 °F, and about 1,272 mm50 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Louisville climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 439 | −524 | 032 | 843.3 | 26 |
| Feb | 643 | −425 | 134 | 873.4 | 23 |
| Mar | 1254 | 134 | 744 | 1134.4 | 16 |
| Apr | 1967 | 745 | 1356 | 1315.2 | 3 |
| May | 2475 | 1356 | 1965 | 1365.3 | 0 |
| Jun | 2883 | 1865 | 2374 | 1144.5 | 0 |
| Jul | 3086 | 2068 | 2577 | 1174.6 | 0 |
| Aug | 3087 | 1967 | 2577 | 853.3 | 0 |
| Sep | 2882 | 1559 | 2170 | 933.7 | 0 |
| Oct | 2068 | 846 | 1457 | 1084.3 | 1 |
| Nov | 1355 | 235 | 745 | 963.8 | 13 |
| Dec | 643 | −228 | 235 | 1084.2 | 23 |
| Year | 3087 | −524 | 1356 | 1,27250 | 105 |
“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% | 71% | 1.9 | 9:47 |
| Feb | 85% | 71% | 2.6 | 10:43 |
| Mar | 82% | 66% | 3.7 | 11:51 |
| Apr | 79% | 60% | 5.0 | 13:09 |
| May | 81% | 64% | 5.5 | 14:14 |
| Jun | 79% | 53% | 6.3 | 14:49 |
| Jul | 77% | 52% | 6.0 | 14:34 |
| Aug | 71% | 49% | 5.5 | 13:38 |
| Sep | 69% | 46% | 4.6 | 12:22 |
| Oct | 73% | 54% | 3.3 | 11:07 |
| Nov | 79% | 58% | 2.3 | 10:02 |
| Dec | 86% | 71% | 1.7 | 9:31 |
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 Louisville is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 30 °C86 °F and a low of 20 °C68 °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 25.2 °C45.4 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,272 mm50 in of precipitation per year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is May (136 mm5.3 in), the driest is January (84 mm3.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 69% in September to 86% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 46%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in August to 9 km/h (6 mph) in January. 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 13 cm).
Best time to visit Louisville
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are September: average highs of 28 °C82 °F to 28 °C82 °F with 93 mm3.7 in to 93 mm3.7 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 Louisville
- Winter (December–February) — highs 439 to 6 °C43 °F, lows −524 to −2 °C28 °F, about 93 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 24 °C75 °F, lows 134 to 13 °C56 °F, about 126 mm5.0 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 2883 to 30 °C87 °F, lows 1865 to 20 °C68 °F, about 105 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 1355 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 235 to 15 °C59 °F, about 99 mm3.9 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 Louisville compares
Compared with Indianapolis, about 172 km to the north, Louisville is on average 1.9 °C3.4 °F warmer and receives 11% more precipitation (1,272 mm50 in vs 1,141 mm45 in). The difference is largest in January (2.6 °C4.7 °F warmer).
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Louisville is the 133rd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 41st 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), Nagano (Japan, Dfa) and Kragujevac (Serbia, Cfa).
Nearby places
- Lexington 116 km · 13 °C55 °F · 1,231 mm48 in
- Lexington-Fayette 116 km · 13 °C55 °F · 1,231 mm48 in
- Cincinnati 145 km · 13 °C55 °F · 1,116 mm44 in
- Evansville 160 km · 14 °C56 °F · 1,243 mm49 in
- Indianapolis 172 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,141 mm45 in
- Dayton 215 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,035 mm41 in
- Clarksville 238 km · 15 °C58 °F · 1,316 mm52 in
- Nashville 249 km · 15 °C59 °F · 1,351 mm53 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Louisville?
July is the warmest month in Louisville, with an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) and an average low of 20 °C (68 °F).
What is the coldest month in Louisville?
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 Louisville?
May is the wettest month with about 136 mm (5.3 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 84 mm (3.3 in).
What is the best time to visit Louisville?
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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 213 m, while Louisville lies at about 142 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.5 °C0.8 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.