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Cincinnati weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

The Ohio River wraps around Cincinnati and shapes its weather as much as its history, from grey, mixed-up winters to the floods that have repeatedly tested the city. Cincinnati weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, extremes and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+6.3°Fhigh well above average

70° / 39°Today
63° / 44°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+3.2°Faverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–4974frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 98 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 98 in the 1940s45days above 86°F a year now (2016–2025) · 32 in the 1940sdays above 86°F · 32 in the 1940s+3.2°F vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 3.3 incheshigh 38°low 24°February, rain 3.3 incheshigh 42°low 26°March, rain 4.3 incheshigh 53°low 35°April, rain 4.3 incheshigh 65°low 45°May, rain 4.3 incheshigh 74°low 55°June, rain 3.7 incheshigh 82°low 64°July, rain 3.6 incheshigh 85°low 68°August, rain 2.9 incheshigh 84°low 66°September, rain 2.7 incheshigh 78°low 59°October, rain 2.8 incheshigh 66°low 47°November, rain 3.5 incheshigh 53°low 37°December, rain 3.6 incheshigh 42°low 29°wettest month May, 4.3 inches · 42.1 inches a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Clear

Right now

41.9°

37°feels like
70%humidity
33°dew point
2 mphfrom NE
UV index0.0
sunrise07:53sunset18:52day length10h 59m
TodayClear70°39°
WedClear71°40°
ThuClear70°48°
FriClear71°48°
SatClear72°47°
SunOvercast72°51°
MonOvercast72°53°

On this date: October 20

Today (forecast)
70° / 39°
Average for October 20
63° / 44°

High well above average · +6.3°F

  • Highest since 1940: 83.0° · 1953
  • Lowest since 1940: 26.6° · 1972
  • One year ago: 64° / 42°

Every October 20 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 20 on record (n = 87). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Cincinnati is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 39.13°N, 84.51°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
39.13°N, 84.51°W
Time zone
America/New York
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

18 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +2.5°F.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

Cincinnati stands on the northern bank of the Ohio, by its meeting with the Licking River, at the southern edge of the Midwest. That puts it right on the boundary between humid continental and humid subtropical climates (Köppen Dfa bordering Cfa), with a slightly longer growing season than cities further north. Summers are hot and humid; winters are moderately cold and tend to bring a messy mix of rain, sleet and snow rather than reliable deep cover.

The river is the recurring threat. The Ohio River flood of 1937 ranks among the worst in American history, swamping the low-lying basin and prompting the flood walls that still line the waterfront. Severe thunderstorms arrive mainly in spring and summer, but the river, far more than the sky, has done the most lasting damage.

The warmest month is July, with typical afternoon highs of 84.9°F and nights around 67.6°F. Roughly 45 days a year now top 86°F. The coolest month is January, when afternoons reach about 38.1°F and overnight lows sit around 23.9°F. Around 75 days a year dip below freezing.

The yearly total for Cincinnati comes to about 42.1 inches; monthly amounts range from 2.7 inches in September up to 4.3 inches in May.

The record here starts in 1940, and since then the annual mean in Cincinnati has climbed 3.2°F from the first ten years to the last ten. Recent years have brought more rain as well. The last decade sits roughly 10% over the long-term average.

Sources:en.wikipedia.orgbritannica.comweather.gov

Climate graph (climograph)

July is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 46°F. Wettest month: May (~4.3 in). Whole year averages ~42.1 inches of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 104 rainy days a year: most in May (~11), fewest in October (~7).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 0.08 in per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Cincinnati month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Highest and Lowest are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightHighestLowest
January38.1°23.9°3.3 in89.5 h72.3° (1950)−24.2° (1994)
February42.4°26.4°3.3 in810.5 h77.4° (2018)−19.2° (2015)
March52.7°34.8°4.3 in1011.7 h85.1° (2012)−10.0° (1980)
April64.5°44.9°4.3 in1013.0 h88.4° (1986)18.4° (1972)
May73.7°54.9°4.3 in1114.1 h91.3° (1953)29.3° (1947)
June81.9°63.8°3.7 in1014.7 h101.9° (2012)42.4° (1972)
July84.9°67.6°3.6 in914.5 h103.9° (1954)48.8° (1972)
August83.7°65.8°2.9 in813.5 h100.7° (1983)44.7° (1965)
September77.6°58.6°2.7 in712.2 h100.3° (1954)35.3° (1993)
October66.3°47.4°2.8 in710.9 h92.9° (2019)23.3° (1962)
November52.8°37.4°3.5 in89.8 h80.5° (2016)−4.4° (1958)
December42.0°28.5°3.6 in99.3 h73.7° (1982)−21.3° (1989)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +3.2°F.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.34°F per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Mar–May is warming fastest: +0.53°F per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 86°F per year: 31.6 early in the record → 44.5 recently. Frost days: 98 → 74.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

Hottest day since 1940 in 1954, coldest in 1994: 103.9°F / −24.2°F.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~42.1 in/year on average. Last decade: +10% vs that average. Long-term trend: +0.97 in per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Cincinnati

Which is the warmest month in Cincinnati?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Cincinnati is July (mean daily temperature of about 75.6°F) and the coolest is January (about 30.0°F).
How does today's temperature in Cincinnati compare to the historical average?
On October 20, 2026, Cincinnati is forecast to reach a high of 69.6°F and a low of 39.2°F. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 63.3°F and a low of 44.0°F, so today's high is 6.3°F warmer than that average.
How much has Cincinnati warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Cincinnati is about 3.2°F warmer.
How much does it rain in Cincinnati?
Cincinnati receives about 42.1 inches of precipitation per year on long-term average, with May typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Cincinnati?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Cincinnati is about 53.9°F. The warmest month is July and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Cincinnati by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Cincinnati (°F, full record since 1940): January 38°/24°, February 42°/26°, March 53°/35°, April 65°/45°, May 74°/55°, June 82°/64°, July 85°/68°, August 84°/66°, September 78°/59°, October 66°/47°, November 53°/37°, December 42°/29°.
What is the weather like in Cincinnati in summer?
Summer in Cincinnati (June to August) is warm. Afternoons run 82–85°F and nights 64–68°F; July is the warmest month. Rain is steady at around 3.4 inches a month, spread over roughly 9 days.
What is the weather like in Cincinnati in winter?
Winter in Cincinnati (December to February) is cold. Expect 38–42°F by day and 24–29°F at night, with January the coldest month. Rain and snow are steady at around 3.4 inches a month, spread over roughly 8 days.
What is the weather like in Cincinnati in spring?
March to May is spring in Cincinnati, and it is wet and fairly mild. It warms from 53°F by day and 35°F at night in March to 74°F and 55°F in May. Rain is steady at around 4.3 inches a month, spread over roughly 10 days. No season is wetter.
What is the weather like in Cincinnati in autumn?
Autumn in Cincinnati (September to November) is mild. It cools from 78°F by day and 59°F at night in September to 53°F and 37°F in November. Rain falls on about 7 days a month, adding up to around 3.0 inches.
How many days a year does it rain in Cincinnati?
On long-term average, Cincinnati has about 104 days a year with at least 0.08 inches of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 42.1 inches.

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