Home › Lexington

Climate in Lexington, Kentucky: Monthly Weather Averages

By the AverageClimate Editorial Team · Last updated: October 2026

Lexington sits at 980 feet above sea level, and its climate, as recorded at the Lexington Bluegrass Airport, KY station, runs to a yearly mean of 56.3°F. The warmest month is July, averaging 76.7°F with typical highs of 86.9°F; the coldest is January, averaging 33.9°F with lows around 25.4°F. Across a normal year the city receives 49.8 in of precipitation and 14.5 in of snow. The full month-by-month picture below comes from the official 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals — the 30-year averages the National Weather Service itself uses — so it describes the Lexington climate you should actually plan around, whether you are timing a visit, weighing a move, or just settling an argument about which month is best.

Lexington climate month by month

The table below is the complete 1991–2020 normals profile for Lexington: average high, average low and mean temperature, rainfall, and snowfall for every month. Read down the Mean column to feel the year's rhythm — Lexington's temperature range runs from 33.9°F in January to 76.7°F in July.

How to read the colors:below freezingcoldcoolmildwarmhot. Bands are colored by each cell's own temperature, so a whole year reads at a glance.

Lexington through the seasons

Winter in Lexington averages highs of 42.3–46.8°F and lows of 25.4–29.6°F, a seasonal mean of 36.4°F. The three months together bring 11.3 in of precipitation — about 23% of the city's yearly total — with December the wettest of the three at 4.20 in. Snowfall averages 11.1 in over the season, most of it in January (4.7 in). It is a genuinely cold season — heavy coats, freezing nights, and the year's most changeable weather — without being locked below freezing around the clock.

Spring in Lexington averages highs of 56.1–75.8°F and lows of 35.8–55.0°F, a seasonal mean of 55.8°F. The three months together bring 14.3 in of precipitation — about 29% of the city's yearly total — with May the wettest of the three at 5.44 in. Snowfall averages 3.0 in over the season, most of it in March (2.8 in). The season is a transition: the average temperature climbs 19.5°F from March to May, and by late spring Lexington is firmly into warm territory, with May rainfall of 5.44 in to plan around.

Summer in Lexington averages highs of 83.8–86.9°F and lows of 62.8–66.5°F, a seasonal mean of 75.2°F. The three months together bring 13.8 in of precipitation — about 28% of the city's yearly total — with July the wettest of the three at 5.12 in. It is a warm, usable summer: afternoons are hot enough for swimming and lake or coast time, while evenings usually cool off comfortably.

Fall in Lexington averages highs of 55.8–80.2°F and lows of 36.4–58.1°F, a seasonal mean of 57.7°F. The three months together bring 10.4 in of precipitation — about 21% of the city's yearly total — with October the wettest of the three at 3.66 in. Snowfall averages 0.4 in over the season, most of it in November (0.4 in). Temperatures ease off through the season — the monthly mean drops 23.0°F from September to November — and fall is when Lexington's weather turns crisp and dry, while nights stay mostly frost-free into December.

Best and worst months to visit Lexington

Ranking every month by its normals — mild mean temperatures score best, heavy rain and snow count against — the most comfortable months to visit Lexington are:

JuneAugustSeptember

June leads the list: average highs of 83.8°F, lows of 62.8°F, and 4.96 in of rain, with snow a non-factor at 0.0 in. The other picks, August and September, offer the same balance in Lexington's mild stretch of the year. At the other end, January is usually the month to avoid — deep-winter cold, with a mean temperature of 33.9°F and 3.42 in of precipitation plus 4.7 in of snow.

How Lexington compares

Across the 114 cities in our dataset, the typical city averages 57.8°F for the year and 35.7 in of precipitation. Lexington runs 1.5°F cooler than that typical city and wetter by 14.2 in a year, ranking #57 of 114 for annual warmth and #20 of 114 for precipitation (wettest first). Its year-round temperature swing — warmest month minus coldest — is 42.8°F, which puts it in the moderate, clearly seasonal camp.

Planning notes for Lexington

For anyone relocating: average overnight lows drop below freezing in 3 months (January, February, December), so heating, winter tires, and pipe protection are real seasonal concerns; highs reach the 80s on average in 4 months, but 90°F average highs never arrive; days and nights differ by 20.0°F on average — a big desert-style swing that rewards dressing in layers year-round; 7 months of the year average between 55°F and 80°F, the band most people find comfortable without heating or cooling. Those four facts, all straight from the normals table above, shape everything from a Lexington wardrobe to its utility bills.

Lexington climate FAQ

Source: 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) — ncei.noaa.gov. Station: Lexington Bluegrass Airport, KY (USW00093820), elevation 980 ft. Figures checked October 2026.